Groundbreaking research reveals mental health crisis, poverty and isolation facing BME unpaid carers in Scotland  

A report has exposed the harsh reality facing unpaid carers from black and minority ethnic (BME) communities in Scotland - painting a bleak picture of inequality and invisibility.  

Where Are We Now? - the first study of its kind in almost 30 years - has been published ahead of Carers Week (June 9-15) by the Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project (MECOPP) and Heriot-Watt University, supported by Oxfam Scotland.  

The report is based on the experiences of nearly 200 of Scotland’s estimated 35,000 BME unpaid carers.

It reveals that – despite promises made nearly 20 years ago – many BME carers still face remarkably similar challenges: they are less likely to feel recognised, receive support, or escape the serious strain caring places on their own health and finances. 

Key findings include:

• Money worries – two in three (67%) say caring is pushing them into financial hardship. Over half have had to cut back on food or heating. Most people surveyed reported being on household incomes of below £20,000 per year. 
• Life on the edge –many BME carers are running on empty. Half (50%) live with pain or exhaustion. Four in 10 (40%) face negative mental health impacts like stress or depression. Three-quarters (74%) say they don’t have time to care for themselves. 
• Too many are struggling in silence – most don’t even realise they’re entitled to help, and over half have never heard of the Carer Support Plan they’re legally entitled to. 
• Lonely and left out – four in five report a lack of social contact, with 70% feeling lonely either sometimes or always. Many feel judged in their own communities and under-supported by services due to language barriers or a lack of culturally appropriate information. 

The emotional strain is unbearable for many. A 39-year-old Pakistani carer described her experience: “I have never had any respite. Caring is 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. The only respite I get is when my son goes to bed. Then I start on the laundry and preparing his care needs for the next day.” 

Carers are often left feeling hopeless. As one carer, a 45-year-old Indo-Caribbean woman, revealed: “At my lowest point, I thought everyone might be better off without me because I felt I was failing at everything – I was depressed.” 

Campaigners say the Scottish Government has long known about the challenges facing BME unpaid carers, acknowledging the need for change in 2006. Nearly two decades on, ministers have failed to act, and little has improved. 

Margaret Chiwanza, MECOPP chief executive, said: “This report is a wake-up call that can’t be ignored. For far too long, BME unpaid carers have been overlooked: unseen, unheard, and unsupported. We heard from people battling poverty, burnout and breakdowns, worn out and worn down by a system that keeps failing them. 

“The Scottish Government has known about these problems for nearly 20 years ago but little has changed. The same barriers are still there: services that don’t understand different cultures, information people can’t access and policies that haven’t delivered. It’s not enough. BME carers deserve to be seen, heard and properly supported, and not face more decades of delay. This is about fairness, and the time for excuses is over.” 

The barriers BME carers face don’t happen in a vacuum, with poverty generally hitting BME communities across Scotland the hardest.

Data from the Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights shows that people from BME communities are 60% more likely to live in the most deprived parts of Scotland than white Scottish/British people, and that gap is getting worse, not better. 

Against this backdrop of deep-rooted inequality, unpaid caring responsibilities are piling even more pressure onto people who are already struggling.  

As a result, MECOPP is calling for urgent action from the Scottish Government, local authorities, and NHS Scotland to enhance support for BME unpaid carers.  

They say carers must have access to culturally appropriate respite breaks, a Carer Support Payment system that works for all, and annual health checks with tailored mental health support. In addition, local authorities must invest in community-led services and ensure frontline staff are trained to understand and meet the unique needs of BME carers. 

Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland, said: “Unpaid carers are caring day in, day out, behind closed doors and often without the support they desperately need and these challenges are particularly acute for those from Black and Minority Ethnic communities.

“Many already face deep-rooted poverty and inequality, and unpaid caring is simply pushing them beyond breaking point. They’re exhausted, isolated and being failed by a system that should be there to help. Politicians must stop paying lip service to inclusion and start delivering the real change BME unpaid carers in Scotland have already waited far too long for.” 

Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We work closely with the charity MECOPP and are already acting to address issues raised in their report.

“We are also working with them alongside other carers groups as we look to legislate for a right to breaks from caring, for carers from all backgrounds.

“In the meantime, we have increased our voluntary sector Short Breaks Fund to £13 million, which includes funding for several short breaks projects which aim to support BME carers.”