YOUNG women in Northumberland are set to spend years more of their lives providing unpaid care than their male counterparts, new analysis shows.

The Carers Trust said it is an "ongoing and deeply worrying trend" that caring responsibilities often fall on women.

New analysis from the Office for National Statistics indicates 15-year-old females in Northumberland will spend an estimated 8.3 years providing unpaid care – accounting for 12 per cent of the rest of their lives.

This is compared to 5.7 years estimated for 15-year-old males in the area - a difference of 2.6 years.

Ramzi Suleiman, Carers Trust's policy and public affairs manager, said: "Whoever forms the next government needs to make long-term, sustainable funding for social care a top priority."

The figures also highlighted the significant health impact on those who provided the highest amount of unpaid care.

In Northumberland, 41 per cent of people who provided more than 50 hours of unpaid care reported not having good health in the 2021 Census.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said unpaid carers "play a vital role in our communities".

They added: "That’s why the latest NHS Constitution consultation includes and emphasises the importance of supporting the health and wellbeing of unpaid carers."

They added the Better Care Fund included £327 million in 2023-24 to provide carers with advice, support, short breaks, and respite services.

"Meanwhile, through our Accelerating Reform Fund, we are investing £42.6 million for innovative local projects - many of which are supporting unpaid carers," they said.