Your rights as a Carer
If you look after a family member, friend or someone close to you who couldn’t manage without your help, you may be an unpaid carer.
Whether you provide practical help, emotional support, personal care or help with everyday tasks, it’s important to know that you have rights and may be entitled to support.
Many people don’t recognise themselves as carers. They simply see what they do as part of being a partner, parent, child or friend. But understanding your rights can help you get the advice, support and practical help you need, both for yourself and the person you care for.
At Action for Family Carers, we want every unpaid carer to feel recognised, valued and supported. Here’s a guide to some of your key rights and where you can find out more.
What rights do unpaid carers have?
As an unpaid carer, you have rights under several laws, including the Care Act 2014 and the Equality Act 2010. These help protect your wellbeing and ensure your caring responsibilities are recognised.
Depending on your circumstances, you may have the right to:
request a Carers Assessment
If you’re over 18 and provide regular unpaid care for someone, you’re entitled to a carer’s assessment – it doesn’t matter how much or what sort of care you provide. Find out more about Carers Assessments here.
ask your GP practice to identify you as a carer
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. Find more information about registering with your GP here.
request flexible working
If you are juggling work with your caring responsibilities, you have the right to request flexible working. Find out more on our working carers page or visit Carers UK.
request a free flu jab
As a carer, it’s important to look after your health and wellbeing and one way is to exercise your right to request a free flu jab, if you’d like to. Find out more on the Carers UK website.
protection against discrimination and harassment
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 can read more about this on the Carers UK website.
Carer’s Leave
earlier this year (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. Find out more on our working carers page or visit the Carers UK website.
be consulted when the person you care for is discharged from hospital
If you are a carer and the person you care for is being discharged from hospital, the hospital must identify and consult with you, where possible. Carers UK has produced handy factsheets for carers in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (including a Welsh language version) which explain your rights and what you can expect, helping take away some of the stress that can occur when someone close to you has been in hospital.
Essex County Council created a guide to support you when the person you care for is being discharged from hospital.
Download the guide here: hospital discharge support guide – helping someone home from hospital.pdf
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