Health services are used by carers and the people they care for. NSW Health recognises the unique knowledge and experience that carers have.
A carer provides ongoing, unpaid care and support to a family member, neighbour, or friend who lives with disability, terminal illness, chronic illness, mental illness or ageing.
Anyone can become a carer, at any time. Caring may involve a few hours assistance per week through to sustained 24-hour care. It may also involve balancing full or part-time work with caring responsibilities.
Carers provide assistance with activities such as:
In this context, a person is not a carer if they care for a person as a paid employee, as a volunteer or as part of education or training.
Involving a carer as a partner in care both benefits health staff and improves outcomes for patients. NSW Health also supports employees who combine caring responsibilities and work.
Carers have the same rights, choices and opportunities as all Australians; this is upheld through policy and legislation.
Carer policy, planning and action across NSW is guided by the NSW Carers (Recognition) Act 2010.
The NSW Carers (Recognition) Act requires that all public sector agency staff, including NSW Health staff:
As a human service agency, NSW Health must reflect the thirteen principles of the Charter in its work.
The NSW Carers Strategy: Caring in New South Wales 2020 – 2030 sits underneath the Act. This sets out the NSW Government’s ten-year plan for supporting and recognising carers in NSW. The Department of Communities and Justice provides fact sheets on the NSW Carers (Recognition) Act 2010 and the NSW Carers Strategy.
Under the Act, all public sector agencies must recognise and value carers, ensuring they are consulted on policy matters that impact them. NSW Health’s response is outlined in the NSW Health Recognition and Support for Carers: Key Directions 2024-2027, which provides guidance on responding to the needs of carers across the NSW public health system.
