Responding to the Second Reading of the Health Bill 2026, Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said:

"It's encouraging that unpaid carers are specifically mentioned in the Health Bill, meaning that engagement with carers is not lost when NHS England is abolished. We would like to see further clarity on whether the Single Patient Record will be made available in its entirety to unpaid carers. If done right, this could be transformative for the health service, patient safety and for unpaid carers who often manage the bulk of healthcare appointments for the person they care for.

"The Health Bill is also a huge opportunity to introduce new provisions to improve the lives of unpaid carers and how they are supported by the NHS. New duties to identify and support the health and wellbeing of unpaid carers, and give them the right to a break would be key steps in ensuring that carers are properly looked after by the health service and local authorities. 

"Together, 4.7 million unpaid carers in England contribute the equivalent of £152 billion annually through the value of their unpaid care. Despite their contribution, many carers are unable to access regular and meaningful breaks from caring and face worse health outcomes than non-carers. Carers are not even well identified in the health service: for every one unpaid carer identified, four are effectively missing from GP registers. With the vast majority of carers not receiving tangible support apart from signposting and information, a right to a break - similar to legislation that already exists in Scotland - would be transformative for their wellbeing and ability to continue to provide vital unpaid care to loved ones."