Unpaid Carers Reach “Tipping Point” Carers UK Report Reveals
Carers UK has published a major new report, The ‘tipping point’: when unpaid carers can no longer combine caring with paid employment.
The report, supported by Standard Life, provides a rich picture of the intersecting pressures that can push carers out of the labour market and explores the practical support that can prevent carers from giving up work to care.
Drawing on responses from over 10,500 carers to the State of Caring 2025 survey, and in-depth interviews with carers, the research shows how people are being pushed to a breaking point where continuing to work is simply no longer possible. Concerningly, it finds that nearly half of working carers (47%) are considering reducing their hours or leaving work altogether.
Carers spoke about the combined pressures forcing them out of employment including workplaces that aren’t flexible, the stress and exhaustion from trying to juggle care with work, and the lack of affordable, reliable social care.
Carers UK said that “urgent action” is needed across to stop carers’ finances, pensions, health and wellbeing being put at risk by being forced out of paid work.
Preventing carers from reaching this tipping point requires coordinated action across Government, employers, and public services, including the NHS and social care they added.
Carers UK is calling for:
- A strategic approach to supporting carers through a fully funded, cross-Government Carers Action Plan
- A statutory right to paid Carer’s Leave
- Strengthened employer support
- Investment in social care and NHS support
Gerard Crofton-Martin, Interim Chief Executive at the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) said: “Unpaid carers are the backbone of our health and care system, yet too many are being pushed to breaking point by a lack of reliable, accessible support.
“At SCIE, we’ve seen some promising innovations tailored to support carers. Examples include the use of digital apps to support carers’ information needs; other projects connect carers with different types of community support, including local provision of Shared Lives services and short breaks; and a digital self-assessment tool, enabling carers to identify their needs and connect to support at their own pace.
“Our work with local authorities has shown that these scalable solutions need leadership, long-term investment, and supportive policy to become business as usual.
“The strongest projects demonstrated that earlier intervention through preventive models of community-based care, joined-up working across social care, health, housing, education and the voluntary and community sectors, and flexible, accessible information can reduce pressure before people are pushed to breaking point.”
