“Being a young carer, you have to choose between your future and the future of the person you care for.”

The first parliamentary inquiry on young carers, supported by Carers Trust, reveals a lack of support severely affecting education, wellbeing, and future prospects for them. The report urges a national carers strategy, a properly resourced action plan, and collaboration with young carers for improved identification and support.

APPG on Young Carers and Young Adult Carers- Inquiry into life opportunities – Carers Trust

State of Caring Survey 2023 – The impact of caring on: health

A Carers UK report on caring and health finds that a widespread lack of support and recognition from health and care services is severely damaging unpaid carers’ mental health. It highlights how people caring round the clock for older, disabled or seriously ill relatives do not have adequate support from statutory services that are in place to help them and finds many are steeped in thoughts of hopelessness, fear, and dread and are urgently in need of support.

State of Caring Survey 2023 – The impact of caring on: health | Carers UK

More preventative measures needed to reduce winter pressures, adult social care directors say

Preventive services focused on reducing the number of avoidable admissions to hospital and residential care would optimise hospital flow and discharge this winter, adult social care directors have said. Improving care at home, providing more sheltered, extra care and dementia-focused housing, investment in crisis resolution intermediate care, and better information and advice for older and disabled people would prevent many from needing hospital or residential care, reducing pressures across health and social care every winter, says the report for the County Councils Network.

Government unlikely to deliver promised new hospitals, inquiry finds

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has no confidence that Government will deliver the new hospitals it promised, a highly critical report has said. The PAC is extremely concerned at the New Hospital Programme’s (NHP) lack of progress, given the prominence and importance of the 2020 commitment to build 40 new hospitals by 2030. Very little has happened from the perspective of patients since the Government’s original commitment. The report warns that it is highly unlikely even to construct the 32 new hospitals that it is now aiming to complete by 2030, after the commitment to build all 40 by then was abandoned in May.

New Hospital Programme: Inquiry finds no confidence Government will deliver on promises – Committees – UK Parliament

Gender pay gap needs closing in health and social care

In the five years since it became mandatory for large organisations including NHS trusts to report their pay gaps, there is good and bad news, reports this blog from the King’s Fund.

Why there’s still work to be done to close the gender pay gap in the NHS and social care | The King’s Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)