Across the UK, pressure on unpaid carers has reached a critical point. Rising living costs, increased care responsibilities, and declining access to support services mean that millions of people are caring for loved ones with little financial, emotional, or structural help. This growing crisis is reshaping the landscape of health and social care, creating new challenges for local authorities, domiciliary care providers, and supported living organisations.

For providers delivering regulated care services, these changes are not simply social issues to be aware of. They directly influence staffing, recruitment, service delivery, CQC compliance, and future tender outcomes. Understanding the scale of this challenge is essential for preparing robust, responsive, and person-centred care models that commissioners are actively seeking.

Unpaid Carers Are Under Increasing Pressure

The latest figures paint a stark picture of what unpaid carers are experiencing:

• Over 5.8 million people in the UK now provide unpaid care
• 1.7 million give 50 hours or more every week, equivalent to a full-time role
• Many carers are cutting back on food, heating, and essentials
• A growing number are taking loans or using credit to manage basic household costs
• Over 40% report poor mental health, with many experiencing physical exhaustion

These pressures have a ripple effect through the entire health and social care system. When unpaid carers struggle, formal care providers inevitably become the next line of support, often with increased demand and reduced staffing capacity as former carers seek employment in other sectors.

Financial Strain Leads to Increasing Reliance on Formal Care Services

Caring at home leads to higher household expenses. More heating because someone is home all day. More laundry from managing continence needs. More transport for hospital appointments and medication pickups. At the same time, many unpaid carers reduce working hours or leave their jobs entirely to meet caring responsibilities.

This combination of higher household costs and reduced income is pushing more families to seek external support. For providers, this means:

• Higher demand for domiciliary care packages
• More emergency referrals when informal arrangements break down
• Increased need for respite services
• Greater pressure on already-stretched community teams

Local authorities are facing unprecedented caseloads as a result, and this is directly reflected in how they procure and commission services. Understanding how to position your organisation for these changing commissioning priorities has become essential for providers seeking contract growth.

Why This Matters for Tendering in 2025

The challenges faced by unpaid carers are reshaping the entire commissioning landscape in ways that directly affect tender evaluation.

Local authorities need providers who can handle complex packages. As informal care breaks down, councils must step in with formal support. Providers that demonstrate resilience, responsiveness, and structured care planning stand out in competitive procurement.

CQC is increasing focus on carer support and person-centred outcomes. The Single Assessment Framework emphasises:

• Carer involvement in care planning and reviews
• Wellbeing outcomes for the whole family situation
• Safety and proportionality in service delivery
• Continuity of care that builds trusted relationships

Tender responses must reflect these expectations with specific evidence, not generic statements about family involvement.

Commissioners want providers who understand the lived reality of carers. They need reassurance that services can integrate with families, communicate effectively, and deliver flexible support that complements rather than replaces family involvement.

Evidence of capacity, sustainability, and quality governance is now essential. With unpaid carers experiencing burnout at increasing rates, commissioners prioritise providers who can prove they have strong staffing models, leadership accountability, and robust safeguarding processes.

The Emotional Cost of Caring: What Providers Need to Show

Unpaid carers often face challenges that directly affect how they engage with formal care services:

• Sleep disruption from providing overnight support
• Physical and emotional exhaustion
• Social isolation as caring consumes available time
• Anxiety and guilt about needing external help
• Reduced quality of life across multiple domains

These experiences underline the need for providers to demonstrate genuine understanding in tender responses. Commissioners want to see:

• Empathy-led communication that acknowledges carer stress
• Continuity of care through consistent staffing
• Flexible visit scheduling that works around family routines
• Respectful involvement of carers in care planning
• Reliable backup and escalation procedures that give families confidence

Commitment to reducing carer stress has become a significant win theme in health and social care tenders. AssuredBID ensures these messages are clearly reflected in tender submissions, helping providers articulate their carer-inclusive approaches in ways that resonate with evaluators.

Understanding Carer Assessments and Their Role in Tender Quality

Across the UK, unpaid carers can request formal assessments of their needs. These assessments often lead to breaks and respite support, equipment and home adjustments, access to community groups, mental health support, and formal care packages.

For providers, understanding and referencing Carer’s Assessments, Adult Carer Support Plans, and Carer Needs Assessments strengthens tender responses significantly. Commissioners want to see:

• Providers who collaborate effectively with families
• Relational and person-centred support approaches
• Evidence-led care planning that considers the whole family situation
• Sensitivity to carer burnout and its warning signs
• Proactive approaches to safeguarding that include carer welfare

Embedding these insights into tender responses demonstrates awareness of national challenges and positions providers as long-term partners to local authorities rather than simply service suppliers.

Strengthening Your Tender Strategy

For providers preparing to bid for contracts, now is the time to ensure your organisation reflects the carer-inclusive approaches commissioners are prioritising.

Audit your workforce, governance, and compliance. Can you demonstrate stable staffing that enables relationship continuity? Do your policies reflect carer involvement expectations?

Build a tender-ready evidence library. Gather case studies showing effective family collaboration, feedback from carers about your communication, and data on how your services support whole-family outcomes.

Develop strong, carer-inclusive service models. Document how your approach integrates with family carers, how staff are trained to recognise carer burnout, and how you signpost to carer support services.

Strengthen your CQC quality assurance approach. The Single Assessment Framework expectations around carer engagement need reflecting in your practice evidence, not just your policies.

If you’re finding it challenging to translate your carer-inclusive practices into compelling tender evidence, book a consultation with AssuredBID to discuss how your strengths can be positioned more effectively in competitive procurement.

The Growing Carer Crisis Will Shape Future Procurement

Unpaid carers are holding up the UK health and social care system, often at significant personal cost. As their pressure intensifies, local authorities will increasingly depend on well-structured, resilient care providers who genuinely understand family dynamics and can deliver services that support the whole caring situation.

Organisations that demonstrate capacity, compassion, strong governance, and authentic carer-inclusive practice will be the ones who win and retain major contracts. These aren’t just tender requirements. They’re the foundations of sustainable care delivery that commissioners can rely on.

For ongoing insights into commissioning trends and practical guidance on strengthening your competitive position, explore our health and social care resources covering tender strategy and sector developments.