When Andy Burnham became prime minister, one of the last things he did before travelling down south to No. 10 was visit his father, who has Alzheimer’s.
Just days into the job, Burnham then declared that he wanted a ‘preventative,’ ‘person-centred’ ‘national care service in England’ that works in a similar way to the NHS. The aim is to strengthen the social care workforce to help reduce the stress on unpaid carers. But is the intervention realistic or a pipedream?
Decades-Old Issue
Figures from the latest Census indicate that there are 5.8 million unpaid caregivers in the UK. The economic value of unpaid care work, which entails supporting a relative due to age, chronic illness or disability, amounts to £184 billion annually. Let that sink in.
Unpaid carers are an integral component of society, yet they remain an invisible demographic, underrepresented in public discourse and ignored by politicians. Now, after decades of being swept under the carpet, England’s social care system is finally coming under the microscope.
Perhaps previous PMs bypassed the topic of caregiving simply because they lacked the lived experience necessary to sympathise with the plight of millions of unpaid caregivers. Maybe they skirted around the subject because it reminded them of their own inevitable decline. Either way, the fact that this important issue has been spotlighted is already encouraging. So, instead of burying our heads in the sand, we need a meaningful conversation about how best to support carers. After all, more of us will be undertaking this role soon enough. Already, three in five people in the UK will provide unpaid care for another person at some point in their lives.
Recent research from the IPPR reveals that the number of people working full-time while simultaneously performing caregiving duties has risen 70 per cent in the last ten years. And that figure will only increase over the coming decade. With a declining birth rate and higher life expectancy (UK adults are averaging 81 years, compared to 71 in 1965), there will be more elderly people requiring care in the future. An additional factor is the growing number of working-age adults reporting poor health and requiring assistance. The result? A greater percentage of the population is looking after ailing relatives and taking on unpaid care work. If these figures aren’t a wake-up call to prioritise the wellbeing of the nation’s caregivers, then I don’t know what is.
Financial Toll
To appreciate the financial and psychological burden of caregiving, let’s first consider the impact of a caregiver’s responsibilities on their job. Caring is akin to living for two people simultaneously and, as such, there never seems to be enough hours in the day. Many carers have no choice but to reduce their work hours or give up their job entirely. Carers UK estimates that 600 people quit work every day to look after a relative in need. Not only does this reduce the amount of money coming in, which explains why nearly half of carers have cut back spending on essentials, but it also affects their future career prospects.
We know that prolonged periods off work will negatively impact future earnings and the likelihood of finding other employment. That’s why a fifth of unpaid carers who managed to secure jobs in 2026 have had to settle for lower-paid or more junior roles. The problem is that employers look less favourably on those with gaps in their CV. Instead of being praised for their selflessness, patience and resilience (all of which are crucial transferable skills), those who have had to quit work to take care of another person are treated with hostility, suspicion and social ostracism. It’s little wonder that over one million caregivers live in poverty.
Emotional Toll
The psychological strain of caregiving has been well documented. Almost three quarters of unpaid carers reported feeling stressed, anxious or unable to sleep in 2025, and 40 per cent were depressed. Additionally, seven in ten have a long-term condition or a disability of their own, while 42 per cent say that their physical health has worsened during their time as a carer. While it’s not possible to offer a comprehensive analysis of these reported issues without extensive research, some basic causes can be highlighted. Firstly, caring for someone with a disability is physically demanding work. Assisting with dressing, bathing and getting in and out of a wheelchair increases the risk of the caregiver injuring themselves. Unpaid carers may also face psychological challenges, such as the need to relay information multiple times, weathering unpredictable mood swings or constantly providing emotional support.
‘Different forms of cognitive impairment, dementia, Alzheimer’s, different illnesses and diseases and frailties, manifest in very complicated ways over time and that can play out in anger, in resentment, in frustration, that often the carers have to bear the brunt of,’ says Emma Kirby, Professor of Sociology at UNSW Sydney.
In short, caring is a full-time job and an enormous burden. Too many caregivers are run off their feet and lack the time (or energy) to do anything for themselves. As more people provide over 35 hours of care per week, their own health concerns can quickly take a backseat. When you’re looking after someone, you are not just their ‘carer.’ You become their chef, launderer, cleaner, gardener, electrician, administrator, shopper, cabby and emotional pacifier. Caring for someone means being an anchor and buoy that keeps another afloat; the hand that they reach for when life becomes overwhelming. You’re as much their personal stylist as you are their verbal punchbag. Their Jiminy Cricket as much as their court jester.
And while it’s indescribably fulfilling to witness your relative come out of their shell, to see them improve thanks to your assistance, this reward often comes at a great personal cost. As everything is focused on making another feel happy and comfortable, your own needs recede and sometimes disappear entirely. For instance, you might start to take less pride in your appearance because dwelling on yourself becomes a frivolous luxury. You could also become so involved in meeting the other person’s specific needs, such as dietary requirements, that you end up leaving a supermarket without having bought anything for yourself. As for personal things, such as your favourite book or your taste in music, unless they help you with your chores, they become largely meaningless. The erosion of your sense of self is what makes the psychological toll of caregiving so acute. And these issues cannot be solved by a pitiful fortnight’s worth of free respite care.
‘[We know] the devastating impact that substantial unpaid care of over twenty hours per week can have on carers’ health, wellbeing and ability to juggle work and care,’ says Emily Holzhausen at Carers UK. That’s why ‘A growing number of carers are struggling … due to the enormous pressures they are under.’
This is why we must do more to protect the mental, physical and financial wellbeing of our carers. Just look to other countries for inspiration. In Denmark and Scotland, the state pays for nursing as well as personal and social care for those in need. This support comes regardless of a person’s income or savings, helping to relieve pressure on unpaid carers. Additionally, nursing home residents only make contributions towards basics like food and accommodation, which means less pressure on families and personal savings. And in Japan, preventative measures such as investment in public workout spaces, particularly parks and near train stations, and routine health checks for the elderly help reduce the number of people falling into bad health and needing round-the-clock care.
Many carers in England are needlessly suffering from deteriorating fitness and poor mental health. It’s not too late for the government to do the right thing, but that means actually doing it. Not just saying that it needs to be done.
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