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12h ago

England’s Unpaid Carers Up 70% as New Analysis Exposes Social Care Shortfall

Fresh data frames unpaid family care as the backbone of an under-resourced system.

Unpaid carers save the British economy a huge amount of money. Image: Unsplash
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Overview

  • An IPPR paper using Joseph Rowntree Foundation analysis finds 1.9 million people now provide 35 hours or more of unpaid care each week, up from 1.1 million in 2003/04.
  • New requests to councils rose from 1.8 million in 2015/16 to 2.1 million in 2023/24, with 32% coming from adults aged 16–64 as demand from working‑age people grew fastest.
  • Support has not kept pace, with only a 2.5% increase in those receiving care as families—most often women—take on heavier caring roles and many leave work to do so.
  • IPPR calls for a National Care Service with affordable contributions plus stronger rights for unpaid carers, including paid care leave, workplace protections and income support.
  • The government cites a larger Carer’s Allowance earnings threshold by about £2,000, a review of Carer’s Leave, extra funding, home adaptations, a Fair Pay Agreement and a commitment to a National Care Service, with Casey Review recommendations due in 2026.