There are at least 300,000 unpaid carers in Wales. Replacing the care they provide would cost over £10 billion a year, a figure comparable to the entire Welsh NHS budget.
We will protect existing support for unpaid carers in Wales. Recognising the scale of their contribution to Wales’s health and well-being, and acknowledging that they need and deserve better support from their government, we will also:
- Take all reasonable steps, in partnership with local authorities, to ensure that Carer’s Needs Assessments are completed within 28 days and that carers can access their entitlement to respite.
- Develop tailored training for unpaid carers looking after someone at the end of their life, and ensure they have access to key healthcare contacts including 24/7 palliative and end of life care and support.
- Press the UK Government to make Carer’s Allowance fairer, and provide targeted support for unpaid carers to claim all the benefits they are currently entitled to, including Pension Credit, social tariffs and other discounts on utility bills.
- Recognise unpaid carers as a priority group, including in the production of anti-poverty and cost-of-living interventions, and fair work policies.