Today (Monday 21 October 2024) the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will launch an engagement programme to form a new 10-year health plan for the NHS. Public, clinicians and experts are being urged by Government to submit ideas for its future as new online platform Change.NHS.uk goes live today. Unpaid carers responses alongside patients and staff could be set to have a huge opportunity of shaping the future of the NHS.

This new engagement will focus on understanding what the public, staff, patients and unpaid carers want from their health service and what it should look like in 10 years’ time.

Lord Darzi’s independent investigation of the NHS in England recognised that unpaid carers do not receive the support that they need and deserve from the NHS. Despite their huge contribution, carers often feel invisible and misunderstood.

Carers UK has been calling for change for years to help improve carers' own health and wellbeing, as well as fundamentally changing the way that the NHS recognises and supports unpaid carers in their caring role. 

Many carers struggle with their own health, and there is mounting evidence underlining the fact that unpaid caring is a social determinant of health. The GP Patient Survey found that 60% of carers report a long-term health condition or disability compared to 50% non-carers. 30% of carers answering Carers UK's State of Caring 2023 survey who were waiting for hospital treatment or assessment for themselves, had been waiting for over a year.  A staggering 60 per cent of unpaid carers providing substantial care said they were not involved in hospital discharge, despite this being the law. A majority of unpaid carers responding to Carers UK's research said that they needed more support from the NHS in order to care.

Unpaid carers have important views on the future of the NHS in 10 years time.  We hope that this consultation will listen to their specific voice and needs,  recognising the role they play in looking after others and giving them the right tools to care if they choose to.  As the Darzi report suggested, the future NHS should recognise carers both as people with their own health needs where caring is a significant factor in their lives, and as an equal partner - a provider of care in their own right. Carers UK looks forward to engaging fully to help build a plan for the future of the NHS. 

Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said: 

"We are excited to see this first engagement phase of the NHS 10 Year Plan, a process which will include unpaid carers and ask for their views about the kind of health service they want to see in the future. 

"We wholeheartedly agree with the recommendations from the Darzi review which suggested there should be a "fresh approach to supporting unpaid carers". Unpaid carers are critical to the NHS and the NHS is a critical service for them, but it's not always set up to help carers and can make their lives harder.  

“England's 4.7 million unpaid carers provide the bulk of support for older, ill and disabled relatives, helping millions to live in local communities where they want to be. Their support is valued at £152 billion, the equivalent of a second NHS, but they also face greater health inequalities and poorer health outcomes. 

“With one in three NHS staff also juggling work and care, there's a real opportunity to create a service which truly supports families who provide unpaid care. We see this as a win:win situation - helping families and building an NHS which is fit for the future; delivering better outcomes for everyone."