Rob Burrow's widow highlights 'amazing' carers

The widow of Leeds Rhinos rugby league legend Rob Burrow has highlighted the "incredible work" she said was being done every day by unpaid carers.

Lindsey Burrow looked after her husband from when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND) in 2019 until his death aged 41 in June.

Ms Burrow said without the commitment shown by unpaid carers to the people they looked after, the country "would not cope".

Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said huge numbers of carers were "picking up the slack" for issues in adult social care. A government spokesperson said changes were being made to "improve adult social care and support carers".

Ms Burrow said the work unpaid carers did on a daily basis was "just incredible".

"I think in the UK there are over 10 million carers - and two million of those are actually working," she said.

"So, they are juggling working and caring responsibilities as well, and I just think they do an amazing job."

It was important to champion the work unpaid carers did and "recognise and reward them", Ms Burrow said.

"Without them our country just wouldn't cope."

Ms Burrow's comments came as the government announced steps and investment to address problems in adult social care.

It has also announced an independent commission into adult social care as part of long-term reforms to create a National Care Service, though that has faced criticism as it was not expected to report back until 2028.

Ms Walker, from Carers UK, welcomed the government's announcement, but said there were "anxieties" about the timescale of any reforms.

"There's a crisis now and it has a knock-on effect on unpaid carers, so unpaid carers take on more responsibilities because of the lack of social care," she said.

Unpaid carers were "picking up the slack" for problems with the adult social care system, Ms Walker said.

Carer's Allowance, which people may be eligible for if they spend at least 35 hours a week looking after someone with an illness or disability, was the lowest benefit of its type, she added.

"If you have to give up work in order to care, you are only entitled to £81.90 a week and that really is not enough to live on," Ms Walker said.

"We need more support for carers and a fundamental review of carer's allowance."

A government spokesperson said: "We are making changes to improve adult social care and support carers, including modernising the sector and appointing Baroness Louise Casey as chair of an independent commission."

They said the carer's allowance earning threshold would be increased to give "unpaid carers the opportunity to earn more and still receive the government support they deserve".

Rob Burrow's MND diagnosis came two years after he retired from playing.

His 17-year career with Leeds Rhinos and Great Britain included eight Super League Grand Final wins, three World Club Challenges and two Challenge Cups.

Ms Burrow said she was grateful to have been able to care for her husband.

"It is a really positive and really rewarding to job to do, and I was very honoured I got the privilege of looking after Rob," she said.

However, she added that the reality of being a carer was that it could often be a lonely experience.

"It can be isolating at times. People don't know who to turn to and the system doesn't always work for everybody," Ms Burrow said.

It had been a "tough few months" since her husband's death, she added.

"But I know Rob would want us to be happy and would want the children to be happy.

"This year is going to be increasingly difficult, the first year without Rob.

"But he showed us the way that life is for living, and we owe it to Rob to continue to be happy and to make those memories."

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