Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of publishing an updated National Carers Strategy.

In June 2018, the Government published its two-year ‘Carers Action Plan 2018 – 2020 supporting carers today’ which sets out a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support all carers in England until the end of 2020.

The Action Plan puts a focus on practical actions to support carers, recognising and supporting unpaid carers to provide care in a way that protects their own health and wellbeing, employment and other life chances.

We plan to produce a final evaluation of the Action Plan next year. Alongside this the Department, with others across Government and carers, will consider next steps to build on the work initiated through the Carer’s Action Plan.