New research has shed light on a disturbing pattern within the UK’s care system, revealing that approximately one carer a month across England and Wales goes on to kill the person they are looking after. Dr Siobhan O'Dwyer, an associate professor at the University of Birmingham, who conducted the research, described these cases as “deeply sad” but “not extraordinary”, emphasising the lack of preventative measures in place.
Dr O'Dwyer, alongside other experts, is now advocating for urgent reforms within the care system, highlighting the critical need for increased support for isolated carers. This call comes as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) stated its commitment to “building a system that properly recognises and supports unpaid carers” through enhanced financial assistance.
The severity of the issue was underscored by the recent sentencing of Stefania Glowka, 64, who received an eight-year jail term for the manslaughter of her mother in Devizes, Wiltshire, on Christmas Day. Glowka, who had a history of recurrent depressive disorder and had been her mother's primary carer since 2004, admitted to strangling her mother before attempting to take her own life, telling police she had “reached the end of her road”. The jury found her not guilty of murder on the grounds of diminished responsibility, a verdict Dr O'Dwyer believes acknowledges the significant mental health toll of unpaid caring.
Dr O'Dwyer’s analysis of 64 deaths over five years involving carers and homicide identified “risk factors” that frequently “went unnoticed by health and social care professionals”. While acknowledging that such tragedies are rare, Sue Yeandle OBE, a University of Sheffield researcher focusing on care, policy, and practice, stressed that they typically occur when an “isolated, unsupported carer reaches breaking point”. She echoed calls for urgent reform and greater investment in the care system to alleviate the immense stress of round-the-clock caring.
The ongoing Casey Commission, which aims to reform adult social care in England and improve support for unpaid carers, has also found many carers to be under “unacceptable strain”. Lady Casey, leading the review, has criticised a system that she believes still operates with an outdated reliance on female carers. The sentencing of Stefania Glowka coincided with Carers' Week, an annual event in June dedicated to highlighting the vital contributions of carers and their need for support, serving as a “stark and sombre reminder” of the challenges faced by many, according to Kirsten Kerr of Carers Together Wiltshire.
Source: University of Birmingham, Department for Health and Social Care, University of Sheffield, Carers Together Wiltshire