Unpaid Carers' Leave

Unpaid carers are unsung heroes and without them millions of people would be left to manage without any support. The cost-of-living crisis has made measures to support carers in work even more important.

Many carers are trying to juggle their paid work with their caring responsibilities which is an incredibly difficult thing to do. Therefore action must be taken to ensure unpaid carers get the support they need. The Government says it is committed to introducing a new entitlement to one week of leave for unpaid carers. However, no action has been taken yet.

As we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, we need a new settlement for social care, which puts family carers at its heart and gives carers the practical, emotional, financial and workplace support they need to help look after the people they love most. Unpaid carers have been pushed to the limit looking after the people they love. Almost half had not had a single break for five years even before the pandemic struck. For this reason, the Government must look to improve carers’ rights to take time off work for caring responsibilities.

I believe that the NHS should systematically identify and support carers and ensure they are fully considered in any recovery plans. I also believe that social care desperately needs a sustainable funding settlement, which includes comprehensive support for unpaid carers such as regular respite breaks. We must ensure that unpaid workers have the right to take leave whenever necessary.
Please rest assured that I will continue to put pressure on the Government to introduce unpaid leave for employees with caring responsibilities.