The NHS's 10-Year Health Plan outlines a bold ambition: shifting care out of hospitals and into communities.
For millions of families, this means care is coming closer to home and closer to them. But for adult children caring for elderly parents, this also means a new reality: more responsibility, more navigation, and more pressure. As a society, we often overlook the vital contribution of this group. At Carents, we believe it's time to recognise and support this hidden workforce.
The NHS neighbourhood health service aims to end fragmented care and empower local teams to deliver joined-up services that meet people where they live. It's a visionary move to reduce hospital burdens, make care more accessible, and enable early intervention.
But the shift also implies that much of the management, coordination, and execution of care will increasingly fall to individuals and families within the community.
For those supporting their elderly parents, our carents, this transformation brings with it both opportunities and challenges. Already, many carents take on duties like medication management, attending appointments, and even facilitating home-based recovery. The new model of neighbourhood-based care will intensify these responsibilities, making the role of the carent more central and more complex.
Carents' Contribution
Carents.co.uk is designed to equip this silent majority with the knowledge, confidence, and community they need. Our platform offers:
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Expert Articles: Clear, concise guidance on navigating local health systems, managing care plans, and understanding medical language.
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Peer Support: A community of like-minded individuals sharing advice, resources, and emotional support.
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Practical Tools: From checklists to appointment prep guides, we make the invisible labour of care more manageable.
As local services become the norm, the risk of regional disparities and information gaps increases. Carents helps bridge those gaps, giving carers a place to learn, connect, and advocate more effectively.
A community-based NHS cannot succeed without the active participation of the communities it serves. That includes the family carers who are now, more than ever, on the front lines of health delivery. At Carents, we see them, we support them, and we are proud to stand alongside them as neighbourhood health becomes the new standard.
