Carers spend on average 26 hours each month attending healthcare appointments, alongside nearly 12 hours a week organising, travelling and waiting for care.
Three in 10 (30%) are spending more than 40 hours a month, the equivalent of a working week, on healthcare support alone, according to the Specsavers research.
Comedian Paddy Raff is one of millions of unpaid carers in the UK. The 42-year-old helps care for his younger sister Sarah, who lives with cerebral palsy, epilepsy and learning difficulties, and requires 24-hour support.
Sarah, 36, lives with their mum in Belfast, with Paddy and their wider family stepping in to help. Paddy said: “We don’t really see ourselves as carers. We’re family first and foremost. It’s just something that becomes part of your life. My mum does the bulk of the care but all of us, siblings and aunties, we all chip in.
“She needs help with getting up, getting dressed, going to the toilet, transport – everything. There’s always someone there or within earshot.”
View 3 ImagesSarah Raff having an eye test with Specsavers Home Visits
While Paddy’s family don’t consider it as work, the reality reflects the national picture – a demanding role that shapes daily life and relationships.
For carers like Paddy, even routine healthcare appointments can become complex and often overwhelming operations. Getting Sarah to appointments is rarely straightforward and usually requires careful planning, multiple people and mental preparation.
Paddy said: “It’s a three-person job just to get her out. You’re thinking, ‘how far do we have to go? What’s the access like? Will they see her on time?’ These things will live in my mum’s mind for weeks before the appointment. It can be very stressful.”
Paddy found Specsavers Home Visits, which deliver eye care and hearing services at home, made a huge impact. Hesaid: “I hadn’t even thought that someone might come to the house to do it, it was a real godsend.
“It alleviates a lot of stress. You don’t have to plan how you’re getting there or worry about whether it will work once you arrive.”
For Sarah, the experience becomes far more positive at home. Rather than a stressful trip, her eye test became interactive and accessible with Graham Hanna and Matthew Brennan from Specsavers Home Visits Northern Ireland.
View 3 ImagesUnpaid carers are effectively working a second job just to help loved ones access healthcare
Paddy said: “Matthew and Graham turned it into a bit of a game, matching letters, and she loved it. She was buzzing, she gave me a massive high five. They were very accommodating of her needs and they did things at her pace.
“It’s been really refreshing to have such a painless process and get a good result at the end of it, which is a thorough eye test. As long as the person you’re caring for is happy, that’s all that matters.”
The Specsavers Home Visits service provides eligible people with a comprehensive, NHS-funded eye test at their own home as well as free home hearing tests in several locations across the UK.
Find out if your loved one is eligible for a Home Visit at specsavers.co.uk/home-visits
Of 750 unpaid carers quizzed, half (52%) listed reducing stress as the one that mattered most, with 27% stating home visit healthcare would allow greater comfort for the person they care for.
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Research also revealed two-fifths (43%) of carers lose income due to caring responsibilities or have had to adjust their working hours (44%), while one in 10 have stopped working altogether. Alongside time and stress, there is a clear financial toll.
Unpaid carers spend an average of £68.90 per month supporting loved ones at appointments, with more than half (58%) spending up to £100 monthly, and nearly one in five (16%) spending more than £100.