The unpaid care provided family members and friends is critical to the NHS in England. Carers’ support helps millions of people to remain as healthy as possible within their communities.
The scale of unpaid carers’ contribution to the NHS is extraordinary: in 2021, the economic value of unpaid care in England was estimated at £152 billion a year – around the same as total Government spending on the NHS.
Yet, despite the vital role they play, unpaid carers frequently feel undervalued, overlooked and unsupported by the NHS. In 2024, Lord Darzi’s Independent Investigation of the NHS in England recognised these pressures and called for a “fresh approach” to supporting carers – one that treats carers as partners in care, values them as individuals with their own needs, and ensures they are properly supported.
About the NHS 10 Year Health Plan
On 3 July 2025, the Government published ‘Fit for the Future: 10 Year Health Plan for England’, outlining its strategy to reform the NHS in England over the next 10 years, based around three key shifts: from hospital to community, from analogue to digital and from sickness to prevention.
Carers UK agrees NHS reform is urgently needed and welcomes many elements of the NHS 10 Year Health Plan, including:
- The establishment of new Neighbourhood Health Services
- Plans to systematically identify carers
- Better carer-involvement in care planning
- The development of new digital tools, such as the ‘My Carer’ section of the NHS App and the Single Patient Record.
The Plan presents a critical opportunity to embed support for carers at the heart of the healthcare system and fundamentally change the way it interacts with carers. However, this will only happen if carers are placed at the heart of NHS reforms and actively involved in the implementation and delivery of the Plan.
For our detailed analysis of what is included in the NHS 10 Year Plan and what it means for unpaid carers, please see our recent policy briefing.
Carers UK’s 2025 report: A fresh approach to supporting unpaid carers
Carers UK’s September 2025 report, ‘A fresh approach to supporting unpaid carers: our vision for delivering NHS 10 Year Health Plan in England’, draws on carers’ experiences and sets out a clear vision for how the NHS in England can use the opportunity presented by the NHS 10 Year Plan to transform carers’ experiences of the NHS over the next decade.
The report includes:
- Evidence of carers’ current experiences of the NHS and the lack of support they receive
- Our recommendations to improve carer support, identification, and engagement
- Carers’ insights into what they would like to see from a reformed NHS
Carers UK’s vision is for the NHS to become the most carer-friendly health service in the world: one where carers are supported to provide care safely, their own health inequalities are addressed, and they are treated as equal partners in care.
The report provides detailed recommendations for making that vision a reality.
Why are unpaid carers important to the NHS?
Carers UK is committed to working with Government and the NHS to deliver a better future for the NHS and unpaid carers. We have set out a detailed list of recommendations which, if enacted, will serve as vital steps towards realising our vision for the NHS to become the most carer-friendly healthcare service in the world.
What will Carers UK be doing next?
The 4.7 million unpaid carers in England provide essential support for millions of older, ill or disabled relatives and friends. Carers’ support is valued at £152 billion, the equivalent of a second NHS, but they often face greater health inequalities and poor health outcomes.
Carers UK has been calling for change for many years to help improve carers’ own health and wellbeing and fundamentally change the way that the NHS recognises and supports unpaid carers in their caring role. Carers are clear about what they need from the NHS: to be identified, respected, supported, and included.
Join our campaign to introduce key amendments to the Health Bill 2026: email your MP today or support the amendments as an organisation. The Bill is a once in a decade opportunity to bring in meaningful changes for unpaid carers and we need everyone to join together in order to ensure carers are identified and properly supported by the NHS going forward. Read more about our campaign here.
