Introduction: The Hidden Cost of Caring

In the United Kingdom, approximately 5.8 million people provide unpaid care for a family member, friend, or neighbour. Of these, 1.7 million provide 50 or more hours of care per week — that's more than a full-time job with no weekends off, no annual leave, and no sick pay.

For this work, the state offers Carer's Allowance: £83.30 per week (as of April 2025).

Let's do the maths that the government would rather you didn't:

• 35 hours (minimum to qualify): £2.38/hour
• 50 hours: £1.67/hour
• 70 hours: £1.19/hour
• 100 hours: £0.83/hour

The National Living Wage is £12.21 per hour. Carers providing 50+ hours of care earn less than 14% of what someone stacking shelves in a supermarket earns.

This is the lowest benefit of its kind in the UK. The government has acknowledged that 1.2 million carers live in poverty, with 400,000 in deep poverty.

This is what that complaint system looks like.

Part 1: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) — The Gateway Benefit

PIP is the main disability benefit in the UK. If the person you care for receives PIP, you may qualify for Carer's Allowance. If their PIP is denied or reduced, your Carer's Allowance may also disappear.

Stage 1: Mandatory Reconsideration

The Deadline Trap:

• You have 1 calendar month from the decision letter to request a Mandatory Reconsideration
• Miss this deadline and your right to challenge evaporates entirely

The Process:

• Download and print form CRMR1 from GOV.UK
• Print it and post it — you cannot submit online
• In 2024, the DWP requires you to physically mail paper to challenge their decisions

The Wait: Average wait for a PIP mandatory reconsideration is 7 months. During this time, you generally receive no payment.

The Success Rate: Only 25–27% of mandatory reconsiderations result in a higher award. 65% of people do not appeal further — they give up.

Stage 2: First-tier Tribunal

The Success Rate: 66% of PIP appeals are successful. This extraordinary figure reveals the scale of incorrect initial decisions.

The Irony: Two-thirds of people win at tribunal, but two-thirds of people never get there because they gave up after mandatory reconsideration failed.

Part 2: The Financial Ombudsman Service

Why Carers End Up Here

• Banks refusing to accept Power of Attorney
• Insurance companies disputing claims
• Credit card companies pursuing debts for someone who lacks capacity

You must complain to the company first, wait 8 weeks for a "Final Response", then submit to the Ombudsman within 6 months. Miss this deadline and your complaint is time-barred.

Part 3: The Local Government Ombudsman (LGSCO)

Why This Matters to Carers

• Carer's assessments not being completed
• Respite care not being provided
• Social care packages being cut or delayed
• Blue Badge rejections

You must exhaust the council's internal complaints process before the Ombudsman will act.

The Time-Sensitive Traps

Every route has an expiry date:

• PIP Mandatory Reconsideration: 1 month
• PIP Tribunal: 1 month after MR
• Financial Ombudsman: 6 months from final response
• Energy Ombudsman: 12 months from deadlock
• PHSO: 12 months from event

You cannot complain to Body B until you have fully completed Body A's process. This is a designed dead end, not an accident.

The Math of Impossibility

A carer providing 50 hours of care per week, after sleep and basic self-care, has 48 hours remaining for everything else. A single complaint can consume 20–50+ hours over several months.

The system assumes you have infinite time and energy. Carers have neither.

Conclusion: The Loop With No Exit

The UK complaint system is:

• Hierarchical — you must go through each level in order
• Sequential — you cannot skip steps
• Expiry-based — miss a deadline and your rights vanish
• Emotionally exhausting — designed to wear you down

"Go somewhere else." "Not our remit." "We need more information." "Too late — the timeframe has expired."

It is a machine designed not to resolve, but to absorb and deflect.

The complaint system is not broken. It is working exactly as designed. It's designed to protect institutions from carers, not to protect carers from institutions.