The Department of Health and Social Care recently released plans to spend £22.6 million, through the Accelerating Reform Fund (ARF) in projects across the country to support unpaid carers.

The plans include new ways to identify and recognise unpaid carers to ensure nobody is left behind, digitalising carers’ assessments so that they are easier to access, and setting up carers’ support services in hospitals.

Care minister Stephen Kinnock said: “Unpaid carers are the country’s unsung heroes. They provide invaluable support to vulnerable people every day.

“It is vital they too have the support they need so they can look after their own health and wellbeing. This funding will allow local authorities to harness the full potential of technology to give carers more flexibility and help with these crucial roles.”

Kathryn Smith, chief executive at Social Care Institute for Excellence, said: “SCIE is excited to be delivering the ARF support programme to participating local authorities. Nearly 70% of the local projects address the needs of unpaid carers. Others are using innovation to drive greater productivity and to improve people’s care experiences. We expect the learnings from the programme to generate insights about how to scale and spread innovation within social care.”

Professor Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, commented: “While we welcome any recognition of the challenges faced by unpaid carers, this announcement addresses the symptom rather than the root cause of the issue. Decades of chronic underfunding and neglect have driven the adult social care sector into crisis, leaving providers struggling to survive. Without meaningful investment, many are being forced to scale back services or shut their doors entirely, pushing families into impossible situations where unpaid care becomes their only option.

“The government’s current policies have led to a situation where 73% of care providers expect to refuse new care packages from local authorities or the NHS, 57% anticipate handing back existing contracts, and 22% are contemplating closing their businesses entirely.

“These stark figures highlight the inadequacy of the recent Budget, which failed to extend protections like the National Insurance Contribution threshold freeze to social care providers, while offering them to the NHS. This oversight pushes the sector further into crisis and places an ever-increasing burden on unpaid carers, who are being left to fill the gaps in a system on the brink of collapse. While the £22.6 million investment is well-meaning, it is no substitute for addressing the root causes of this crisis. Without a properly funded and functioning care system, the reliance on unpaid carers will only deepen, leaving families and communities to pick up the pieces.”