THE number of unpaid carers recorded in East Lothian has gone up by 255 per cent in the last seven years.

Carers of East Lothian (CoEL)said since 2010 it had witnessed a huge increase in people who are caring for relatives or loved ones without pay but the organisation believes the number is just the tip of the iceberg.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of CoEL, Andrew Tweedy, director, said “We are working with more and more people each year.

“Last year we had a seven per cent increase in the numbers of carers we are in contact with and by the end of last year we were in contact with 2,488 carers.

“While this is great news, there is a long way to go as the Scottish Government estimates there are actually more than 14,000 adults in East Lothian with caring responsibilities.”

Mr Tweedy said it was important to recognise the importance of supporting not only frail or disabled people but also making sure that there was also support and advice available for the family and friends who care for them.

He said one of the organisation’s main roles was to ensure easy access to information and advice, help with finances and benefits and help for carers to get a break which can make all the difference.

He said: “I am really proud that, despite the growth in the numbers of people we supported, we still achieved a 100 per cent satisfaction rate from the carers we surveyed.”

David Binnie, a carer himself and chairperson of CoEL, appealed to people to get involved with the organisation.

He said: “We are keen to find new people to join our board who can help us ensure that CoEL does the best job it possibly can in supporting carers.

“The most important skills are teamwork, good judgement and a passion for our goal of supporting carers but we also need people with specific experience of finance, HR or communications as well.”

The Scottish Government estimates that 17 per cent of the adult population have caring responsibilities.

For East Lothian this gives an estimate of 14,290 adult carers of whom at least 2,522 are caring full-time.

Recent national surveys revealed one in four unpaid carers “have not had a day off” in five years and are more than twice as likely to report being in bad health than non-carers for a range of reasons.