On 4 September 2025, Carers UK published a new report detailing unpaid carers' experiences of the NHS in England and our vision for transforming how the NHS interacts with and supports unpaid carers through the delivery of the NHS 10 Year Plan. 

The report pulls together evidence about carers’ current experiences within the NHS in England and sets out what support carers would like to see in the future. It is based on our own surveys and analysis of external datasets, including the GP Patient Survey 2025 and NHS Staff Survey 2025.

Carers UK has long called for the NHS to change how it works with and supports unpaid carers. Our research consistently shows carers want and need more recognition, better support, and stronger involvement. This has become increasingly urgent as health and social care services struggle to meet rising demand, leaving carers to shoulder more responsibility without adequate support.

Our new report finds that:

• Rising numbers of unpaid carers need more support from the NHS; 51%, compared to 42% two years ago.

• 44% of carers say the person they care for experienced an emergency admission or unplanned visit to hospital in the last 12 months. Many of these could have been prevented with more health services in the community and more social care services.

• Just 14% of unpaid carers say they were asked about their ability to provide care at hospital discharge – even though carers have a legal right to be involved in this process under the Health and Care Act 2022.

• Under a fifth of carers (18%) say they are confident that any feedback or complaint they make about a health or social care service will be acted on.
  
  

For more information, contact policy@carersuk.org.