This is not medical, legal, or financial advice. Big on Health is a UK review site. For health worries, speak to your GP, pharmacist, or NHS 111. For questions about support, speak to your council or a carers’ advice service.

If you look after a relative, partner, or friend without being paid, you are an unpaid carer, even if you have never used that word. Councils can assess what support you may need as a carer. This page explains what to ask in plain English. It is not a care agency, and it does not assess anyone. Names and rules differ between England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, for example, the plan for an adult carer is called an adult carer support plan. Check the current position with your council.

What a carer’s assessment is for

• It looks at your own needs as the carer, separately from the needs of the person you look after.
• It can cover your health, work, sleep, time off, and what happens if you cannot carry on caring.
• It may lead to support for you, such as breaks, information, or help arranged for the person you look after.

How to prepare

• Contact your council’s adult social care team and say you would like a carer’s assessment.
• Write down a typical day and night, including tasks, time spent, and anything you find hard.
• Note what would help most: regular breaks, overnight cover, help with personal care, or emergency cover.
• Ask whether the person you look after has had, or should have, their own needs assessment.
• Ask for any decision and support plan in writing, and how to ask for a review if things change.

A benefits adviser or a local carers’ centre can check whether any carer benefits apply to you. We do not quote amounts here because they change.

When paid help may fill the gap

Some carers add paid help for breaks, nights, or a few regular visits. For options, see Respite care in the UK, Overnight care at home in the UK, and Companionship care in the UK. For money questions, see Paying for private care at home in the UK. After a hospital stay, see Care at home after a hospital stay in the UK.

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