This year, Carers Rights Day is on Thursday 21 November 2024 – and this year’s theme is recognising your rights
Every day, 12,000 people become unpaid carers for a partner, family member or a friend – many of whom don’t see themselves as carers, often unaware of their legal rights and what they’re entitled to in terms of support and benefits.
This year, the day aims to help carers recognise and understand their rights, and to access the support available to them, whenever they need it.
As a carer, knowing your rights empowers you with information about what you’re entitled to. This helps you feel confident asking for what you need, as well as challenging things when your rights are not being met – whether that be in the workplace or education, in accessing health or social care, or when interacting with other professionals or at home.
We work in partnership with Essex Carers Support to ensure all unpaid carers understand their rights and entitlements.
As a carer you 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.
There are events happening to support Carers Rights Day across the county and our friendly team will be out and about joining these. Find out where we’ll be here.
If you need any support you can register with us or contact our office on 0300 7 70 80 90.
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