An estimated 800,000 young people across the UK take on caring responsibilities for family members with chronic illness, disability or mental health conditions, according to the Carers Trust. Many of these young carers regularly collect prescriptions, manage medicine schedules and administer treatments — often without formal training or professional support.
Community pharmacists, who see repeat prescription collections more frequently than any other healthcare professional, are uniquely placed to identify and support these young people.
Who are young carers?
The Children and Families Act 2014 defines a young carer as a person under 18 who provides or intends to provide care for another person. According to the 2021 Census, around 5% of children aged 5–17 in England and Wales reported providing some level of unpaid care. The true figure is widely believed to be higher, as many young carers do not self-identify.
Caring tasks commonly undertaken by young people include:
| Task | Pharmacy relevance |
|---|---|
| Collecting repeat prescriptions | Direct pharmacy contact point |
| Administering oral medicines | Dose timing, storage and technique questions |
| Managing inhaler or injection devices | Device training and technique checks |
| Monitoring symptoms and side effects | Opportunity for pharmacist-led advice |
| Coordinating between GP and pharmacy | Potential for miscommunication |
How pharmacists can help
Identification
The most reliable signal is a pattern: the same young person collecting prescriptions for an adult family member on a regular basis. Pharmacy teams should be alert to children or teenagers who:
- Collect controlled drugs or complex medication regimens
- Ask questions about dosing, side effects or interactions
- Appear anxious about getting prescriptions right
- Visit frequently during school hours
Practical support
Once identified, pharmacy teams can offer targeted help:
- Simplified labelling: clear, large-print labels with plain-English dosing instructions
- Medication reminders: helping set up dosette boxes or reminder apps
- Repeat prescription management: supporting electronic repeat dispensing to reduce collection burden
- Device training: ensuring the young person understands how to use inhalers, auto-injectors or blood glucose monitors
Safeguarding awareness
Pharmacists have a professional obligation under GPhC Standards of Conduct to safeguard vulnerable people. A young person taking on excessive caring responsibilities may themselves be at risk. Concerns should be escalated through local safeguarding pathways.
The GPhC's guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults applies directly to pharmacy interactions with young carers.
The hidden scale of the issue
According to PharmSee's tracking of 1,765 active pharmacy vacancies across England, roles specifically mentioning carer support or young people remain vanishingly rare in job descriptions. Of the 499 NHS pharmacy postings currently tracked, none specifically reference young carer training — suggesting this remains a gap in formal workforce development.
Community pharmacy, with its 13,147 registered branches across England and walk-in accessibility, sees more of the public more often than any other NHS-funded service. For young carers who may never present to a GP about their own needs, the pharmacy counter is frequently the only regular healthcare touchpoint.
What the sector is doing
The Carers Trust and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society have both published guidance encouraging pharmacies to adopt carer-friendly practices. Some integrated care boards now include young carer identification in their community pharmacy enhanced service specifications, though uptake is patchy.
Pharmacy teams looking to improve their support for young carers can:
- Display Carers Trust or local young carers service information in-store
- Train counter staff to recognise potential young carer patterns
- Offer New Medicine Service consultations with the carer present where appropriate
- Connect families with local authority young carers assessments
Sources
- Carers Trust, About Young Carers (2024)
- Office for National Statistics, Census 2021 — Unpaid care
- Children and Families Act 2014, Section 96
- GPhC, Standards for pharmacy professionals (2017)
- PharmSee vacancy data, 15 April 2026 (1,765 active roles across 11 sources)