PETITIONClosedPetition · petition.parliament.uk
Fund free prescriptions and eye tests for carers
To support all carers to look after their health, I want the government to fund free prescriptions and yearly eye tests.
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
49
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 49/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 49/100,000
Background
Unpaid carers in England and Wales contribute an estimated £162 billion per year to the economy. Most carers are unpaid.
Unpaid carers are more than twice as likely to have poor health than people without caring responsibilities. 60% of carers have a long-term health condition or disability, compared to 50% of non-carers.
84% of carers surveyed for the 2013 State of Caring Survey said that caring has had a negative impact on their health, up from 74 percent in 2011-12.