Carers are invisible and ignored in the NI Executive’s Programme for Government say Carers NI, Northern Ireland’s only regional carers charity.
The much-awaited plan was unveiled this week to guide Stormont’s work for the next two years (2025-2027) but crucially without an agreed budget1.
Speaking about the Programme for Government, the first in more than a decade, Carers NI Public Affairs and Media Manager, Áine Magee said:
“We are deeply disappointed that this Programme for Government does not specifically recognise the role of NI’s 220,000 unpaid carers who provide round the clock care to children with severe learning disabilities, elderly parents with chronic diseases, sick spouses and those who are dying. Unpaid carers do what matters most every single day of their lives in keeping the most vulnerable sections of our society at home with good care and away from expensive hospital settings.
“There are aspects to this plan that could be positive to carers including proposals to bring forward new Employment legislation; a Good Work Charter; a fuel poverty strategy, anti-poverty strategy and SEN reform. However, there is nothing definitive about any of it.
“Unpaid carers are the backbone of our society. The care they provide on a 24/7, 365 basis saves the Stormont Executive £5.8 billion every year. If they withdrew their care, the health service would collapse, yet Stormont is asking them to simply carry on and get on with it.
“There is no caring response from this Government towards carers in this document, yet we know that in two years’ time we will have more pensioners than children in our population. We also know social care is currently unable to cope with demand and that in the future this demand will only increase and place even further strain on the health service. A new and funded carers strategy for Northern Ireland is long overdue and would show that this Government values carers and affords them the high-level visibility it deserves from all Executive departments.”
1 The 2025/2026 Budget is out for consultation and closes 13 March.