Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Carers UK report State of Caring 2023 — The impact of caring on: health, published in November; and what steps they intend to take in response.

We are grateful to Carers UK for having undertaken the research for this report, and we recognise that caring is not always easy or straightforward. There is a wide variety of caring circumstances, experiences and needs among unpaid carers, and the enormous contribution of unpaid carers is reflected throughout Next Steps to Put People at the Heart of Care, published on GOV.UK in April 2023 in an online-only format.

On 24 October 2023, we announced our £42.6 million Accelerating Reform Fund to support innovation and scaling up in adult social care, and to kick-start a change in services provided to support unpaid carers.

We are also investing at least £2.3 billion extra funding a year in expanding and transforming mental health services in England by March 2024. This extra funding will enable an extra two million people, including unpaid carers, to be treated by mental health services within the National Health Service by March 2024.

We know that breaks and respite are important for unpaid carers. This year, £327 million from the Better Care Fund has been earmarked to provide short breaks and respite services and additional advice and support to carers, together with a small number of additional local authority duties.