Unpaid carers must be put at the heart of reform after Lord Darzi's scathing NHS report

Responding to Lord Darzi’s Independent Investigation of the NHS in England, Carers Trust's Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Ramzi Suleiman, said:

"This scathing report will come as no surprise to millions of unpaid carers who have been left to plug ever larger gaps in our health and social care system by looking after family and friends at home."

"So we welcome Lord Darzi’s recognition of carers’ vital role within health and social care and call for a different approach to supporting them within the NHS."

"You cannot talk about the importance of care closer to home without involving unpaid carers. Alongside staff and patients, they must be put at the heart of the Government’s 10-year plan for the NHS."

"If properly supported, carers can be at the heart of some of these proposed reforms, from care in the community, to reducing waiting times and improving treatment of major conditions."

"But carers have already been pushed to their limit and any NHS reform must recognise that and work for them too."

"The report also hammers home the point that the desperate state of our social care system is having a huge impact on the NHS."

"You simply can’t claim you’re serious about reforming the NHS while continuing to ignore reform of social care – they are two sides of the same coin."

"The new Government’s silence so far on social care is concerning, especially when there is still no detail about its proposed National Care Service."

"The crisis in the NHS has no chance of being fixed until the Government breaks its silence on social care."