Carers Week is an annual campaign to raise awareness of caring, highlight the challenges unpaid carers face and recognise the contribution they make to families and communities throughout the UK. It also helps people who don’t think of themselves as having caring responsibilities to identify as carers and access much-needed support.
This year the theme is ‘Caring About Equality’ highlighting the inequalities faced by unpaid carers, including a greater risk of poverty, social isolation, poor mental and physical health. Far too often, carers of all-ages miss out on opportunities in their education, careers, or personal lives, just because of their caring role. Get involved in Carers Week 2025, and together let’s work towards an equal society, where carers are truly valued, recognised and supported.
Our focus on carers
Our Greater Manchester’s Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) Strategy sets out how we will work together to improve the health of Greater Manchester. One of our priorities is to “support our workforce and our carers”.
“We want Greater Manchester to be a place where everyone can live a good life, growing up, getting on and growing old in a greener, fairer more prosperous city region.”
You can read more in our Greater Manchester ICP strategy.
Who is a carer?
Put simply, a carer is considered to be anyone who spends time looking after or helping a family member, friend or neighbour who, because of their health and care needs, would find it difficult to cope without this help. One in ten people are known to be carers in Greater Manchester, yet there are many more who are unknown.
What can you expect in Greater Manchester as a carer?
As a carer in Greater Manchester you should be able to expect the following:
- To be identified as a carer as early as possible
- Better access to annual health checks and improved access to GP appointments
- Access to services and activities to help stay fit and healthy
- To be supported in employment
- To be involved with employers in developing carers policies and for staff to be trained to be “carer aware”
- If you are a young carer or young adult carer, you are able to thrive and develop educationally
Find your nearest carers support service
We’ve pulled together a list of all the carers centres across Greater Manchester which you can find on our service finder A-Z.
Find out more about caring in Greater Manchester
