• 44% of carers in employment have had a mental or physical health condition develop or become worse since taking on caring responsibilities
• 33% of current and former carers in employment say they have postponed or cancelled their own appointments, tests, scans, treatments or therapies

Findings mark the start of Carers Week which takes place from 9-16 June. The theme of this year’s Carers Week is ‘Caring About Equality’. 

Many of the UK’s unpaid carers who juggle employment responsibilities alongside looking after disabled, older or ill relatives need further support to stay in paid work and progress in their career.

New polling of over 2,000 members of the public for Carers Week 2025 found that working carers often struggle to prioritise their own health needs, and a quarter (25%) had reduced their working hours to care.

Forty-four per cent of carers in employment said they had a mental or physical health condition develop or become worse since they started caring – a higher proportion of carers in comparison to those not working (44% compared to 37%).

Carers and former carers in employment were also more likely to say they had postponed or cancelled their own appointments, tests, scans, treatments or therapies due to the demands of their caring role (33% compared to 27%).

Those cancelling appointments said they couldn’t find appointments at a time they could attend and were unable to take time off from paid employment for these. 40% of working carers said they needed more flexibility at work. Previous research by Carers UK has found that 600 people a day have given up work to care[1].

Carers UK and charity supporters Age UK, Carers Trust, MND Association, Oxfam GB, Rethink Mental Illness, The ME Association and The Lewy Body Society are seeking to increase visibility and raise awareness of the inequalities carers face during Carers Week, which is a UK-wide awareness campaign.

TSB Bank is the headline sponsor for Carers Week 2025, which is also kindly supported by Regina UK and Centrica.

Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK, said:

“Carers need more support to ensure they can remain in work with the same career opportunities. The Carer’s Leave Act 2023 gives employees the right to five days of unpaid leave, but this is just the start.

“An understanding line manager, flexible working and paid Carer’s Leave can all make a difference – helping employees to look after their own health and wellbeing, as well as the person they care for.

“When businesses invest fully in carer-friendly workplaces this brings benefits for employees and employers alike, resulting in the retention of valued staff and taking us one step closer to equality for carers in the workplace.”

Ariam Enraght-Moony, Chief People Officer, TSB said:

“As the number of carers increases, so must our commitment to support them. At TSB, we’re proud to do just that, offering 70 hours of paid carer’s leave each year - plus wider support including access to a care management service to help navigate each step of the care journey.

“Our support isn’t just about attracting talent; it’s about retaining skilled colleagues and making sure no one has to sacrifice their career to care.

“I urge businesses to consider what more they can do to support colleagues who are carers too.”

You can read the full report here. 

[1] Carers UK (2019) Juggling work and care. https://www.carersuk.org/media/no2lwyxl/juggling-work-and-unpaid-care-report-final-web.pdf