Almost three-quarters of people (73%) who provide or who have provided care have never identified or called themselves a carer, according to new research.

The polling, which marks the beginning of Carers Week (5-11 June), came as seven charities call for cross-government actions and a funded National Carers Strategy.

The results found 73% of people in the UK who are providing, or have provided, unpaid care in their lifetime – roughly 19 million people – have not identified themselves as a carer.

The polling also suggests eight million people (31%) in the UK with experience of providing care have seen their health and wellbeing suffer.

Nearly half of those who took longer to identify themselves as a carer (46%) said they missed out on financial support as a result of not knowing they were a carer, and 35% missed out on practical support.

Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “The fact that the large majority of people who have cared for a friend or family member in the UK haven’t identified or called themselves a carer shows that there is so much to be done to raise awareness of unpaid care and its impact on individuals, whether that be to their finances or physical or mental health.

“Eight million people with experience of care seeing their health suffer is concerning and shows the need for targeted action to support carers.

“Healthcare professionals, employers and wider society have an important responsibility to help people with caring responsibilities get the right support when they need it.

“The government needs to show that it recognises and values unpaid carers by stepping up cross-government action to support them, alongside a funded National Carers Strategy.”