This year, Carers Rights Day will be taking place on Thursday 21st November 2024 with the theme of ‘Recognising your rights’. This day is about raising awareness of the rights of the UK’s 5.7 million unpaid carers and to help them get the support and recognition they need and deserve.

Around 9% of people are providing unpaid care and 4.7% of people in England and Wales are providing 20 or more hours of care per week. Unpaid carers contribute a staggering £445 million to the economy every day by way of the services they provide, with the value of unpaid care being the equivalent to a second NHS in England and Wales.

Many people become unpaid carers for a partner, family member, or friend without recognising their role as a “carer”, doing it simply because they recognise the hardship faced by a loved one and want to help them. It can take, on average, two years for someone to be identified as a carer. As a result, they often lack awareness of their legal rights and the support to which they are entitled.

Becoming a carer for a loved one is a challenging role to assume, as carers often have to juggle such responsibilities with their own life and commitments, such as a job. Indeed, one in seven people in the workplace in the UK are juggling work and care. It can lead to difficulty with finances and carers may generally feel overwhelmed and isolated. Caring can have a significant impact on health and wellbeing, particularly when carers do not have access to support that they need and know their rights as a carer.

As a carer, you have the following rights: –

• The right to unpaid Carer’s leave.
• The right to request flexible working.
• The right to ask your GP practice to identify you as a career.
• The right (and choice) to request a free flu jab.
• Protection against discrimination or harassment.
• Requesting a carer’s assessment.
• Being consulted when the person you care for is discharged from hospital.

Carer’s rights still however have a long way to go to truly acknowledge the important role that carers hold in society. Carers UK are currently working to achieve the following goals: –

• Making caring the 10th protected characteristic.
• Greater recognition and support to identify as a carer.
• Clear rights not to be discriminated against because of their caring responsibilities.
• A fairer social security system which supports carers to live a life free from poverty.
• Consistent recognition, involvement, and support from the NHS.
• Access to good quality and affordable social care, including the ability to take a break from caring.
• Better workplace support including a right to paid time off to care for a family member or friend.

There are many ways to support Carers Rights Day, from donating, fundraising and even volunteering. Carers First provide a wealth of online help and advice on topics such as everyday tasks, financial support, planning ahead, young carers and legal matters.

When there has been medical negligence, there may be scope to recover, as part of the claim, compensation on behalf of a loved one who has provided care and assistance due to the negligence. This is known as a gratuitous care claim and it is calculated with reference to the charging rates for nurses, acknowledging the important contribution that carers make when providing care which would otherwise need to be provided by the NHS or privately.

If you believe that you or a person you care for has suffered from medical negligence, please contact our Medical Negligence team on 01482 323697 to discuss how we may be able to assist.