Background
An unpaid carer is someone who provides unpaid support to a family member, partner, friend or neighbour who could not manage without their help because of illness, disability, frailty, a mental health condition or addiction. This includes both adult carers and young carers (under 18).
Unpaid carers are a vital part of our health and care system, yet many remain unidentified. Carers Trust estimates there are 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK, while Carers UK reports that 30% of carers say their GP is unaware of their caring role.
The need for better identification is clear. The 2025 GP Patient Survey found that unpaid carers are more likely to live with long-term conditions, experience isolation and show indicators of frailty, yet are less likely to feel supported to manage their health.
Why this matters
Identifying carers is the first step to supporting them.
The 10 Year Health Plan for England commits to systematically capturing information about unpaid carers so their responsibilities are recognised and supported. The Unpaid Carers Action Plan (2026) also sets a clear ambition for carers to be identified earlier and connected to support sooner.
Better identification enables:
- earlier support and intervention
- more personalised care planning
- improved access to local support services
- better population health management
- greater resilience during emergencies and major incidents
Clinical coding of unpaid carers
Many practices already identify and support unpaid carers, but recording remains inconsistent. More than 80 SNOMED CT codes relate to caring responsibilities, making it difficult to build a clear and accurate picture of the unpaid carer population.
This guidance recommends a core set of SNOMED CT codes to support a consistent national approach.
Consistent coding will help ensure unpaid carers are:
- recognised
- recorded
- supported
It will also enable practices and systems to better understand their unpaid carer population, identify young carers, monitor carer contingency planning, and target support where it is needed most.
Knowing who our unpaid carers are is essential to delivering proactive care, reducing inequalities, supporting emergency preparedness and improving outcomes for carers and those they care for.
SNOMED CT codes for unpaid carers
It is recommended that as a minimum data set unpaid carers are coded as follows using one of the below SNOMED CT codes:
| SNOMED CT code | Term description | Definition for delivery and associated metric |
|---|---|---|
| 224484003 | Patient themselves providing care | Person who looks after a family member, partner or friend who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support. The care they give is unpaid. |
| 302767002 | Cares for a relative | Person who looks after a family member who needs help because of their illness, frailty, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction and cannot cope without their support. The care they give is unpaid. |
Minimum data set codes for unpaid carers
It is recommended that as appropriate unpaid carers are coded as follows using the below SNOMED CT codes:
| SNOMED CT code | Term description | Definition for delivery and associated metric |
|---|---|---|
| 1366321000000106 | Has carer contingency plan or has carer emergency plan | Carer has contingency plan in place for a situation when they cannot provide care and relevant information is accessible to professionals. |
| 199361000000101 | Is no longer a carer | When a person is no longer providing care unpaid. |
Note: The codes recommended in this guidance are “parent” codes. Each parent code has a number of more specific “child” codes beneath it, which provide additional information about a carer’s circumstances. For example, these may identify whether someone cares for a relative with a learning disability, a physical disability, or whether they care for a neighbour.
Using these child codes alongside the recommended parent codes can help practices and systems better understand their unpaid carer population. This supports population health management, targeted communications, identification of local trends, and more effective planning of support services. Ultimately, it helps make unpaid carers more visible and ensures support can be directed where it is needed most.
If you have any questions, please contact england.nhsthinkcarer@nhs.net