Sayce review Key takeaways

In interviews with the Guardian over the past 18 months, unpaid carers described how they were made by the DWP to feel like criminals, shamed into accepting responsibility for an error that - as made clear by the Sayce report - was not their fault.

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Devastating impact on carers

Nearly three-quarters of the 1 million people who claim £83.30 a week in carer's allowance are women. They are disproportionately in poverty and 40% are struggling with their own mental or physical health while caring for their loved one.

One carer told the inquiry team they “lost weight, I couldn't sleep” after being told to pay back money to the DWP; another didn't tell their own family. “I felt so shocked. I felt shame,” they said. Another felt like the government was kicking them when they were already down.

This had a direct effect on the health of the carer and those they looked after. Some felt so pushed to breaking point that the local authority had to take over the care, at a cost to the state.

The “benefits trap” ruthlessly designed to hit internal targets