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The latest State of Caring Survey from Carers UK found that 74% of carers are worried about the impact their caring role will have in the future, including their ability to support themselves financially after their role ends.
Nearly half (49%) say they have cut back on essentials such as food, heating, clothing and transport costs, while a third (32%) say they have taken out a loan from the bank, used credit cards or a bank account overdraft.
Unpaid carers, whose finances, health and ability to work are already impacted by their caring responsibilities, say the pressure of caring is unrelenting – with over half (52%) experiencing a rise in the number of hours they spend caring each week in the last year.
The survey of 10,539 carers also found that 42% say their physical health has worsened, and 20% have experienced an injury because of caring.
Carers and employment
Carers UK say that unpaid carers in the UK already provide care worth £184.3 billion each year. Still, they are increasingly being relied on to provide more and more care against a backdrop of rising costs, insufficient funding and staff shortages within the UK’s health and social care system.
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The survey found that 61% of working carers say caring has affected the type of employment they have taken on. Of these, 35% have reduced their working hours, and a fifth (21%) have taken on a lower-paid or more junior role that better fits their caring responsibilities.
Statistics published by DWP in March 2025 found that the cost to the economy of unpaid carers being out of work is £37 billion a year.
Previous research from Carers UK has found that 62% of carers who are currently providing or have previously provided unpaid care felt they had no choice in taking on the role because no other care options were available.
Helen Walker, Chief Executive at Carers UK, said: “Given the fact that very few people feel they have a choice about caring, we have both a moral and an economic obligation to support unpaid carers. Many are under considerable stress living a life defined by their caring responsibilities. We need to start valuing their contributions because when they leave the workplace or experience burnout, this has wider consequences for workplaces and health services.
“These findings come at a time when the Government is moving forwards in several critical areas, including an independent commission on adult social care. Concrete action to deliver better rights and support for carers within plans to reform the NHS, review workplace rights and social security benefits has never been more urgently needed. Without this, unpaid carers will continue to struggle with devastating consequences for individuals, those they care for, and society as a whole.”
