UK’s ‘unsung army’ of full-time unpaid carers needs more support, report says

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/feb/08/full-time-unpaid-carers-support-resolution-foundation-report

Posted by lighthouse77

5 Comments

  1. PlaneAbalone3134 on

    My sister gets the most pitiful payment for looking after my mum. It’s honestly disgusting

  2. halfwayjellyfish on

    I work fulltime (mostly remote) and care full-time. I am grateful for my employer to let my family to have an income. But doing full-time caring for mental illness means I am working+caring 18 hours a day sometimes without being acknowledged due to the nature of mental illness. It’s difficult I don’t know what help the Gov are supposed to provide, I guess life is really just a matter of luck.

  3. salamanderwolf on

    It’s more than the hours. It’s not being able to turn off because you could be needed at any moment. It’s needing to know medications and schedules. It’s being responsible for banking, health, council contacts and everything else you have nominated as contact for. It’s going to sleep not entirely sure if when you wake up you’ll be finding a corpse. It’s watching your own mental health disintegrate because you literally never get a break.

    It’s going out and being stared at and muttered about because you don’t go to work. It’s hearing politicians repeatedly and cynically tell you, you’re a waste and they’re going to try and make your life worse.

    It’s hell.

  4. My partner had to quit her job two years ago to look after me full time, I am pretty sure she gets something ridiculous like £71 per week for it.

    It’s disgusting how little respect and consideration the government gives someone who sacrificed her career for me.