"If they were fully briefed and knew their rights, many [caregivers] would probably stop using sick leave and their holiday allowance."
- Mark Stephenson, CEO of Reframe Cancer
According to the latest research commissioned by Reframe Cancer, caregivers often use sick pay or holiday allowance to support family members, friends, and partners with cancer. Breast cancer (38%), lung cancer (23%), skin cancer (15%), and prostate/testicular cancer (14%) were the most common cancers supported by caregivers.
Of those surveyed (442 employed caregivers of cancer patients in the UK), 36% said they are caring for a parent with cancer, followed by a relative (28%), a close friend (14%), and a partner (13%). Most (49%) took on the role of caregiver after a cancer diagnosis. 31% became caregivers during treatment, and 14% before diagnosis.
Worryingly, seven in ten employees (77%) said that being a caregiver has impacted their work. 65% said dedicated support for caregivers of cancer patients as an employee benefit would help them balance caregiving with their career.
Reframe Cancer found that caregivers of cancer patients spend (on average) 16 hours a week caring for their loved ones. This can include co-ordinating medical appointments, administering medications and collecting prescriptions, as well as helping with daily living tasks.
Speaking with Protection Reporter, Aaron Dryden, Carer Experience Lead at Yurtle, commented that these findings highlight “what we know about caregivers – they will prioritise the needs of the person going through a health emergency over their career. Employers are uniquely placed to support in a way that benefits their staff and business alike.”
He said: “How staff are treated during times of personal crisis has a significant bearing on loyalty to their employer. We agree that using annual leave to care, taking a financial hit for unpaid carer’s leave, and the additional costs of cancer care create significant strain on caregivers that employee benefits and paid carer’s leave would mitigate.”
Roy McLoughlin, Member of the Protection Distributors Group (PDG), agreed that “What’s clear is that the number of working age adults who will take on the role of caregiver for a loved one with cancer over the coming years will increase dramatically.”
Concerningly, six in ten (60%) caregivers of cancer patients were unaware of the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 before they participated in this survey. 52% of employers didn’t inform them about their rights as part of the Act upon disclosing that they were a caregiver.
Brought forward by Wendy Chamberlain MP, the Carer’s Leave Act 2023 gives employees in England, Scotland, and Wales the right to take up to one week of unpaid leave every twelve months to provide or arrange care for a dependent with long-term care needs.
READ MORE: Helping caregivers thrive in the workplace
“Our findings show the real depth of daily demands that working adults are dealing with whilst also providing care for loved ones with cancer. They are spending (on average) 16 hours a week providing care, which can cover everything from travelling to treatment sessions, helping with washing/bathing, and making sure bills are paid,” explained Mark Stephenson, CEO of Reframe Cancer.
He said: “With 65% of cancer caregivers already saying it would be easier for them if a dedicated programme of support were offered to them as an employee benefit, we suspect this figure will only rise as cancer rates continue to increase. Reframe Cancer has extensive experience in supporting cancer caregivers, and this research is helping inform the development of an improved proposition.”
Protection Reporter can confirm that Reframe Cancer’s improved proposition, designed to support caregivers of cancer patients, will be live from the 7th April 2025.
Its new ‘Care for Carers’ service will provide access to 1:1 consultations via chat and/or video with cancer support managers & cancer nurse specialists, digital bespoke caregiver support plans with clinically verified advice, and its discounted partner network to assist with specialist support.
“There’s concern about the stigma of workplace absence as a caregiver. This is made worse by the fact that over half of caregivers (52%) say they aren’t being made aware of the support offered by the Carer’s Leave Act 2023. If they were fully briefed and knew their rights, many [caregivers] would probably stop using sick leave and their holiday allowance,” Mark concluded.
