A damning new report from the House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee warns that without urgent intervention, unpaid carers in England face escalating hardship and the wider system the nation relies on could collapse.
The Health and Social Care Select Committee’s latest report, Adult Social Care Reform: The Cost of Inaction, underscores the urgent need for comprehensive reform in England’s adult social care system.
Spotlight on Chapter 2: The hidden cost of inaction
This chapter of the Select Committee’s report shines a spotlight on Britain’s “invisible workforce”; unpaid carers. Solid, targeted reform is needed to acknowledge their contribution, protect their wellbeing, and secure the future of adult social care. Chapter 2 lays bare the extraordinary burden borne by unpaid carers:
- Roughly 1.5 million unpaid carers are providing 50+ hours of care per week
- Many have sacrificed paid employment entirely, or reduced hours, to fulfil caring roles, often at significant personal cost
- Carers suffer fatigue, poor mental and physical health, financial hardship and social isolation, yet remain essential to keeping the system afloat
As Carers UK notes, unpaid carers contribute £184 billion of economic value each year, an amount equivalent to the annual NHS budget. However, this vast contribution exacts a steep toll: 600 carers leave paid work each day to assume full-time caring duties .
The committee’s conclusions
Committee chair Layla Moran MP said:
It is not providing adequate care to the people who need it… and it is putting unsustainable pressure on unpaid carers.”
Chapter 2 makes clear that the current system not only leans heavily on unpaid carers—it endangers them. The lack of structured support puts carers at risk of burnout, illness, financial instability and exclusion from the workforce.
What needs to change?
The committee’s recommendations focus on:
- Instituting a dedicated “unpaid carers” workstream within the government’s Casey Commission
- Gathering better data on carers’ health, employment status and wellbeing
- Expanding formal support: breaks, respite services, financial aid, and workplace flexibility
- Recognising carers as a vital component of social care strategy, not a hidden stopgap
Why reforming adult social care matters for everyone
At present, the system’s failure to support unpaid carers is bleeding into broader public services:
- Carers exiting work undermine productivity and tax revenues
- Families and local authorities scramble to fill gaps
- NHS beds are delayed and overcrowded when carers cannot support hospital discharge
As the report states,
continuing to do nothing is an active decision, and it isn’t a tenable one”
Government response
Just days after the report’s publication, the Department of Health & Social Care pledged:
- A £2,000 increase in Carer’s Allowance.
- A £3.7 billion funding boost to social care authorities.
- A new neighbourhood-based care model to improve join‑up between services.
- Launching the Casey Commission, with unpaid carers as a central focus
However, MPs caution that missteps in data collection or delays could derail meaningful change, leaving unpaid carers to shoulder the strain alone.
Read the report
Download the Health and Social Care Committee
Adult Social Care Reform:
the cost of inaction
