Carers bear burden of waiting lists drive

Unpaid carers are being left to cope with chronically sick relatives because hospitals are discharging patients too early in their attempt to reduce waiting lists, a report warns today.

Hospitals, "obsessed" with freeing up beds, are sending patients home without consulting families or making sure they have enough support, claims the Carers National Association.

The charity, which represents 5.7 million people left to look after sick, disabled and elderly relatives, says the Government should issue urgent guidance on hospital discharges to stop the burden being placed on hard-pressed families.

Diana Whitworth, CNA chief executive, said it was disturbing how many carers were being left to "pick up the pieces" because hospital discharges were poorly planned and wrongly timed.

Pressure on the Government increased with the publication today of a second report, which warns that state-run care services, to help elderly and disabled people manage at home, are on the brink of collapse.

The King's Fund, an influential think-tank which has conducted an inquiry into the support provided by social services departments, concludes they have suffered from years of under-funding and neglect.

To avert a crisis, the organisation says the Government must allocate at least £700m extra a year, equivalent to the increased funding that Labour has agreed for the NHS.

The warnings about the neglect of carers and state-run care services come days after Tony Blair accepted British voters wanted better public services.