Value of unpaid care in England and Wales exceeds England’s NHS budget, report finds

New research from the Centre for Care and Carers UK has estimated the value of unpaid care in England and Wales as £162bn – bigger than England’s £156bn NHS budget for health service spending.

Following analysis of 2021 census data, research from the University of Sheffield and carers’ charity Carers UK found the value of unpaid care has increased by nearly a third, from approximately £105bn in 2011.

Millions of people provide unpaid care for a family member, friend or neighbour affected by long-term illness, disability, or those needing more help and assistance in older age – often caring around their own commitments such as employment and family life.

“Without unpaid carers, our health and social care systems would collapse, that is the stark reality of the situation,” said Professor Matt Bennett, deputy director of the Centre for Care and one of the authors of the research. “Despite NHS funding increasing annually, increases to social care funding have not kept pace, so the system is now relying more heavily than ever before on unpaid carers to pick up the slack.

“Our research shows that people are providing more hours of care than ever before, and their contribution to the UK economy now exceeds that of the entire NHS budget in England. There are estimated to be around 5 million unpaid carers in the UK, and it is obvious that they need to be recognised, not just for their contribution to society, but in their need for specific rights and support for the work that they do.”

Co-author Dr Maria Petrillo, also of the Centre for Care, added: “The data shows how heavily the health and social care system relies on unpaid carers. About 12,000 people a day become an unpaid carer, and these people are often a lifeline for the most vulnerable in our society.

“Even so, our estimates cannot put a true value on unpaid care; as it is often done out of love, and immense respect for the person needing support; and can be at cost to carers’ health, careers, social and family lives and even their financial health.

“Our data underpins recommendations that can help the government and local authorities better support unpaid carers, and ensure those who often sacrifice so much for their loved ones, are valued and supported by the health and social care system.”

For the new report, researchers from the Centre for Care analysed census data to measure the number of hours people in local authority areas in England and Wales reported caring for a loved one, friend, or neighbour each week. Using information about the current wage rates of carers and nursing assistants, they estimated the monetary value of unpaid care and how this has changed between 2011 and 2021.

The research found that even though the number of people in England and Wales who identify as an unpaid carer has decreased slightly, an increase in the number of hours of unpaid care is believed to contribute to a staggering increase in the value of unpaid care in England and Wales.

The report, published by Carers UK, sets out 14 recommendations in a call for government to understand the value of unpaid care and help it make changes to improve the lives of carers in such areas as:

· Better rights, recognition and support from the NHS and social care

· Support and rights in employment

· Freedom from financial hardship, and a recognition of the in poverty and the additional impact and costs of caring

· Freedom from discrimination and promotion of equality

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