Half of unpaid carers cancelled or postponed a medical appointment for themselves in the last 12 months because they couldn’t fit it in with their caring responsibilities – with this rising to seven in ten among carers who are struggling financially. The findings come from the annual survey by Carers Scotland and Carers UK. Carers Scotland says carers are holding together a system that is reaching breaking point and that delivering the government's commitment to introduce annual health checks for carers must be a priority.

The hidden cost of caring is highlighted again in this year’s report by Carers Scotland: State of Caring in Scotland 2026: Holding up the System, Reaching Breaking Point.

The report draws on responses from 1,620 unpaid carers in Scotland who took part in an online survey between June and August.

Of those carers, almost two thirds (64%) said that they had cancelled or postponed a GP appointment, and more than a quarter (27%) had not gone ahead with an investigation such as a blood test, x-ray, scan or ultrasound.

For those who are struggling financially, the number of carers who have cancelled or postponed medical appointments rose to 72%.

Carers reported delaying a wide range of investigations, including diabetic health checks, scans and biopsies.

22% of cancelled appointments were screening appointments, such as cervical and breast screening.

Asked why, the carers who took part in the survey said they did so to prioritise the person they care for (64%) and because they simply could not find enough time alongside their caring responsibilities (47%). Nearly half (49%) said the health and care system where they were could not provide replacement care.

Carers Scotland says the findings suggest that carers are being prevented from accessing healthcare, rather than choosing to miss appointments. The fact that almost half were unable to secure replacement care highlights how a lack of capacity in the system is putting carers' health at risk.

Director of Carers Scotland, Kirsten Hogg says the impacts appear greatest on those who are already struggling:

“The inequalities within State of Caring are particularly striking. Carers experiencing financial hardship were consistently most likely to miss healthcare across almost every type of appointment, whilst the barriers they faced often reflected a combination of poverty, caring responsibilities and a lack of replacement care. This suggests that those carers with the greatest health needs face some of the greatest barriers to accessing support, entering a cycle in which poor health, caring responsibilities and financial hardship exacerbate one another.

“Without action to improve replacement care, increase the flexibility of health services and address the financial pressures facing carers, these inequalities are likely to widen further and contribute to poorer health outcomes over the longer term.

“It is critical as a priority step, that the Scottish government sets out a timetable and action plan to deliver on their manifesto commitment to establish annual health checks for carers and to provide adequate replacement care to enable carers to attend to their own health needs.”

The State of Caring in Scotland 2026 report sets out a wide range of additional factors affecting the lives of many of Scotland’s 722,000 carers, including financial struggles, housing challenges, difficulty sustaining employment and a lack of social care to support their caring role.

Carers Scotland says that, across all responses, carers facing financial insecurity, those with intensive caring responsibilities and disabled carers faced the greatest challenges.

 

Read more: National care charter published; The cost of caring: spending less on heat and food; Politicians told: “Carers cannot wait”; Unpaid carers save Scottish economy NHS-scale costs

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