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Information for carers

Carers play an essential role in the overall care provided for service users.

Who is a carer?

  • Do you look after a family member, partner, neighbour or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, mental health, substance misuse problems or disability?
  • Does someone rely on you to help them live at home?
  • Is the care you give unpaid?
  • Do you consider yourself to be a carer?

If you regularly spend time and energy looking after a disabled or frail adult or child, then you are a carer.

There are around seven million carers in the UK  – that is one in 10 people.

By coordinating with the services provided by healthcare professionals, carers look after our service users in their homes, helping to avoid hospital admissions.

The economic value of the contribution made by carers in the UK is £132bn a year.

Looking after someone else is often hard work, can be stressful and may affect your own health and well-being. We value the input that carers make and support them with information about:

Remember that it is important that your general practitioner (GP) knows that you have caring responsibilities; contact your surgery to register yourself as a carer.