The Government's Unpaid Carers Action Plan: Recognise, Refer, Reach sets out practical steps across health, social care, education, employment and social security to improve support.

Kirsty McHugh, Carers Trust chief executive, said: ‘The plan is a positive step as we await the Casey Commission on social care reform, and it must lead to tangible change for carers. That means ensuring help is available when they need it, sustained investment in the services that support them, and a long-term strategic approach that tackles the pressures carers face every day.'

Key measures of the plan include:  

• flagging unpaid carers on the NHS App so they can be involved in care planning and referred to the right support
• an unpaid carers landing page on GOV.UK from this summer offering health, social care, employment and benefits guidance
• a Carers' Charter to be published, setting out rights and entitlements
• requiring employers with over 250 workers to improve support for unpaid carers from spring 2027
• carers to be central to hospital discharge planning, under reforms to the Better Care Fund
• identifying young carers quicker and providing better so they can stay in education without falling behind at school.