Thousands of home carers ‘must ensure they get their rights’

Martin Shipton

Unpaid carers should make sure they take advantage of rights they may not even be aware they have, according to one of the leading care professionals in Wales.

Michael Poole is the founding director of 1st Grade Care, a company that provides paid-for home care for those who need it. He also chairs Cardiff Domiciliary Care Association.

Speaking in the run-up to Carers Rights Day on November 19, Mr Poole said: “In the UK, there are about 5.8 million unpaid carers, around 59% of whom are female.

“Many people providing unpaid care do not even realise that they are carers, and that they have rights.

“Carers Rights Day aims to help people recognise that the work they do is caring, and that they have rights they can access to help make life easier.

“For many people, it can take years before they realise that they’re a carer. Often, they simply see what they do as part of being someone’s partner, parent, family member, friend, or neighbour. And all that time they could be missing out on the support and rights available.”

Mr Poole added: “Recognising the fact that you are a caregiver is the first step towards accessing rights that can help mitigate the situation you are in. It’s important to visit your GP and talk things through if your role is impacting negatively on your health.

“Caring is hard work, both physically and emotionally.

“The Carers UK website is a fund of information for those who would like to know more about the support that’s available for those in an unpaid caring role.”

He pointed out that unpaid care work carries significant physical, mental and socioeconomic hazards, disproportionately affecting women:

• 81% of unpaid carers report increased stress and anxiety, while 77% experience worsened mental health. Many carers cite sleep deprivation and intense fatigue as massive issues.
• 43% of carers state their physical health has worsened since they started caring. Those providing 50 or more hours of care per week are twice as likely to report poor health, facing higher mortality risks and earlier disability.
• 36% of carers feel lonely often or always, compared to just 6% of the general population.
• Approximately 1.2 million unpaid carers in the UK live in poverty, including 400,000 who are trapped in deep poverty. Caregiving forces many to reduce their work hours, pass up promotions or leave the workforce entirely, severely compounding long-term pension deficits.
• Women perform roughly 75% of all unpaid care work globally, averaging three times as much as men, which constrains career ambitions from adolescence onwards.
• Young carers – particularly girls – who shoulder heavy care duties face disrupted education, higher school dropout rates and reduced degree attainment.

Juggling

Mr Poole said: “It’s estimated that up to one in five workers may be juggling their paid work with unpaid caring duties. In 2024, the Carer’s Leave Act became law – giving employees juggling work with unpaid care the legal right to up to five days’ unpaid leave per annum. This is aimed at helping carers manage some of the day-to-day challenges they face – and helping them stay in employment. Many carers face poverty as they can no longer balance working and caring.

“If you are juggling work with your caring responsibilities, you have the right to request flexible working. The introduction of the new Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act means that anyone, including unpaid carers, can ask their employer for changes to their working hours, times of work, or place of work, from day one.

“If you provide unpaid care, you can ask your GP practice to identify you as a carer on your patient record. The benefit of this is that you may then fall into a priority group for vaccines or other public health campaigns. Carers UK has information on how to talk to your GP.

“If you look after an older or disabled person, the law (Equality Act 2010) protects you against direct discrimination or harassment because of your caring responsibilities. You may also be protected under other laws, including disability or sex discrimination legislation. Understanding your rights can be useful if you feel you have been treated unfairly because of your caring role.”