Carers Week 2025: recognising and supporting the hidden workforce in health and social care

The theme for Carers Week 2025 is "caring about equality", a call to action to address the persistent and wide-ranging inequalities experienced by unpaid carers across the UK. This year’s focus shines a light on the disproportionate burdens carried by carers, who are more likely to face poverty, social isolation, and poor mental and physical health as a direct consequence of their caring roles.

Unpaid carers, spanning all ages and backgrounds, often sacrifice educational opportunities, career progression, and personal aspirations to provide essential care. Despite the critical role they play in supporting health and social care systems, their contributions frequently go unrecognised and unsupported.

Each day of Carers Week 2025 will explore a key area where inequality affects carers’ lives:

• Monday: health and social care – examining access to services, coordination of care, and the impact of caring responsibilities on carers’ own health.
  
  

• Tuesday: financial wellbeing – highlighting the economic pressures carers face, including loss of income, insufficient benefits, and the long-term financial impact of unpaid care.
  
  

• Wednesday: work and employment – addressing workplace challenges, including limited flexibility, career disruption, and employment discrimination.
  
  

• Thursday: younger carers – focusing on the unique experiences of children and young people who provide care, and the impact on their education, development, and mental health.
  
  

• Friday: older carers – exploring the specific needs of ageing carers, many of whom are supporting partners or adult children while managing their own health issues.
  
  

• Saturday: mental health and wellbeing – spotlighting the emotional and psychological toll of caregiving, and the need for tailored mental health support for carers.
  
  

• Sunday: reflections on Carers Week – a chance to reflect on key messages, share lived experiences, and consider next steps in promoting carer equality.

Healthcare professionals are in a unique position to advocate for and support carers. Recognising their role and addressing the inequalities they face is essential to improving outcomes not only for carers themselves but for the people they care for.

We witness every day the vital role unpaid carers play in supporting individuals with long-term neurological conditions. This Carers Week, we are reminded that carers, both young and adult, are not peripheral to the care system; they are a central, and often invisible, workforce.

People living with conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, or motor neurone disease often experience a gradual loss of independence. In response, family members and friends step in; managing medications, coordinating care, assisting with personal tasks, and offering emotional support.

These carers are unpaid, often untrained, and yet provide an estimated £162 billion in value to the health and social care system each year, more than the NHS’s annual budget. Their efforts reduce the need for formal services, prevent hospital admissions, and support safe discharge.

The real impact on carers

Behind this contribution are significant personal costs. Carers frequently reduce working hours or leave employment, impacting their career progression and long-term financial security. Young carers, meanwhile, often experience lower educational attainment and social isolation.

The mental and physical toll is high. Carers are more likely to experience stress, anxiety, depression, and long-term health conditions themselves. According to NICE Guideline NG150 on Supporting Adult Carers, service providers must identify carers early, involve them in care planning, and offer access to tailored support and respite (NICE, 2020).

What can we do?

We all have a role in recognising and supporting unpaid carers across our services. Some practical steps include:

• Identifying unpaid carers proactively and offering carer health checks or referrals
• Involving carers in care planning, with consent, as part of a shared decision-making approach
• Providing information about carer rights, local support groups, and respite services
• Signposting to carer assessments through local authorities under the Care Act 2014
• Offering flexibility in appointments and communication, acknowledging their commitments

At our recent Palliative Care MasterClass, James Townsend, CEO and co-founder of Mobilise, spoke about the importance of giving carers "permission" to look after themselves. He explained that one effective approach clinicians and support workers can take is to encourage carers to create a personal support plan. Framing this as a normal, even expected, part of the caring process, rather than a luxury, can help carers see self-care as essential rather than optional.

James noted that carers are often focused entirely on the needs of the person they love, so embedding self-care within the overall support strategy makes it more accessible. It’s less about the specific details of the plan, he said, and more about the act of making one – asking questions like, What’s your plan to get the support you need? Who can you call when things get tough? Have you told them you might need to call just to have a cry? Creating space for that kind of thinking can make a real difference.

For professionals – learn how to better support carers through:

• Carers UK ‘Learning for Professionals’ hub, which includes free resources, e-learning, and tools for health and social care staff.

• Support for organisations from Mobilise

• NHS commissioning » Who is considered a carer?.

• Overview | Supporting adult carers | Guidance | NICE

• NHS England » Supporting young carers – guidance for GPs and staff

• NHS England » Commitment to carers

• Care and carers | MS Trust

• Support for family, friends and carers

For carers – signpost to:

• Carers UK

• Carers Trust

• Mobilise

• Being a young carer: your rights - Social care and support guide - NHS

• About Us - Caring as a Young Carer

• or local services via NHS Find Help

A shared responsibility

The sustainability of our services depends on unpaid carers. Investing in carer support isn’t just good practice, it’s a strategic imperative that improves outcomes, reduces admissions, and sustains community-based care. Let’s use this Carers Week to recommit to meaningful, everyday actions that empower and support carers. When we work in partnership with carers, everyone benefits.