04/09/2025
n the UK, an unpaid carer is someone who provides care and support to a family member, friend, or neighbour who cannot manage without their help due to illness, disability, mental health issues, addiction, or age-related challenges. Crucially, this care is not paid employment, though some carers may receive benefits like Carer’s Allowance.
🧡 Definition from NHS and Carers Trust
NHS England defines a carer as “anyone who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, mental health problem or addiction and cannot cope without their support. The care they give is unpaid.”
Carers Trust adds that carers can be of any age, from a teenager supporting a parent to an elderly spouse caring for their partner.