The ‘Invisible’ Workforce: Unique Senior Care Warns of Growing Physical Toll on the UK’s Family Carers

Care experts Unique Senior Care (USC) has today issued an alert regarding the “invisible” physical and career toll facing millions of unpaid carers in the UK.

Drawing on the latest 2024–2026 data from the Centre for Care and Carers UK, USC highlights a critical tipping point for the UK's Sandwich Generation, adults aged 45–64 balancing careers, children, and elderly parents. 

The data shows 600 people are leaving the UK workforce every single day to take on unpaid caring responsibilities, often at a high cost to their own health and financial security.

Unique Senior Care’s review of current care trends identifies a worrying physical and emotional impact on those providing intensive support at home:

Physical strain: 42% of unpaid carers report their own physical health has worsened since they began caring, with 20% suffering a physical injury directly related to their responsibilities. Often because they have no training in lifting patients, etc.

Financial impact: Families in the “sandwich” group are losing an average of £6,268 per year in income due to reduced hours or leaving work.

Emotional burnout: 74% of family carers now report feeling significant levels of stress or anxiety.

“Most families don't see themselves as ‘Carers,’ they’re just daughters, sons, or partners doing what is necessary. But the transition from occasional help to full-time support often happens so gradually that the physical toll is ignored until a crisis occurs,” Helena Hitchcox, Director of Operations for Unique Senior Care, told That's Health.

To address this, USC has integrated a free Is It Time For Care? assessment into their 2026 Statistics Hub. This tool provides families with a Personalised Care Radar, designed to identify early warning signs of caregiver exhaustion and elderly isolation before they lead to injury or hospitalisation.

“Professional care is increasingly about supporting the entire family unit. By introducing support earlier, we can help protect the careers and health of family members, allowing them to focus on their relationship with their loved one rather than the physical demands of 24/7 care.”

Further insights are available on the Unique Senior Care Statistics Hub.

Unique Senior Care is a premier provider of fully managed hourly home care and live-in care services across the UK. Recognised for their "Outstanding" Care Quality Commission (CQC) ratings and relationship-led approach, they specialise in dementia support, Parkinson’s care, and palliative support at home.

https://www.uniquecare.co.uk/is-it-time-for-care/

uniquecare.co.uk

Home care provider Elder urges Chancellor to end pension rumours ahead of Autumn Budget

Pete Dowds of Elder

Elder, the UK’s leading care home care platform, has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to put an end to rumours regarding tax-free pension changes by providing clarity ahead of the Autumn Budget.

Media and analysts have speculated that Reeves could make changes to the 25% tax-free Pension Commencement Lump Sum (PCLS), which, in turn has seen a heightened level of pension withdrawals and anxiety for taxpayers.

According to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the money withdrawn from pensions soared by more than a third in 2024/25, jumping from £52.2 to £70.9 billion.

Elder Founder and CEO Pete Dowds said that the Chancellor’s silence on the PCLS was forcing families into irreversible financial decisions.

“The cost of leaving families in this state of uncertainty is far too high, and savers who have worked diligently to provide for their later years deserve stability and assurance,” he told That's Food and Drink.

“We strongly urge the Chancellor to address this speculation now, before the Budget, to safeguard the retirement plans of millions of hardworking families.”

Mr Dowds said that the PCLS was the most crucial source of accessible capital used to cover the upfront costs of care for self-funding families, and if changes were made, it would also undermine the Government’s ‘Home First’ objective to support people at home and improve hospital flow.

“The tax-free lump sum provides the essential bridge that allows people to afford high-quality live-in care, keeping them independent and actively supporting the reduction of pressure on the NHS,” he said.

“Any budget measure that diminishes the value of this tax-efficient capital would hasten the depletion of families’ savings, undermining their ability to self-fund.”

FACTFILE:-

In its tenth year, Elder is an award-winning home care platform that matches older adults with self-employed carers for flexible and personalised home care across the UK. 

Founded on the principle that home is the best place to age, Elder is committed to delivering solutions that enhance patient dignity and provide families with peace of mind. Elder has helped to deliver more than 15 million hours of home care across the UK.

https://www.elder.org/live-in-care