Healthcare employers and experts have called on the government to give UK carers tax break vouchers, claiming that both the economy and the care service sector would both benefit from such a scheme.

According to recent research carried out by the London School of Economics, £37 million-worth of government investment could potentially generate around £83 million for care services, equivalent to an extra 5.5 million hours of home care.

Supporters of the scheme point out that tax breaks would allow older and disabled people to pay for a range of necessary services, including home repairs, home care, chiropody and other preventative services.

In addition, such a scheme would help carers to continue working part-time alongside their caring responsibilities, thereby reducing the number of people of working age having to retire early.

The comments come as the charity Counsel and Care reported that a further 15 per cent of local authorities across the UK have restricted their elderly homecare schemes over the past year, forcing many to move out of their own homes and into residential accommodation

Despite an increasingly aging population, homecare services have reduced by more than a third over the past 15 years, the charity concluded.