Cited in UK press coverage of health & social care
9 citations
Across 2 topics, first on 27 Aug 2026.
Biography
Helen Walker has been Chief Executive of Carers UK since December 2018, bringing a background in leading civil society organisations, fundraising and business planning. Carers UK is the leading national membership charity for unpaid carers in the United Kingdom, providing support, information, research and campaigning to improve carers' lives. Prior to Carers UK, Walker served as Chief Executive of TimeBank, the national volunteering charity, for ten years, and before that as Director of Fundraising at the military charity SSAFA. She has been appointed to represent carers on the NHS Assembly, the body that advises NHS England on delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan, and on the NIHR School for Social Care Research Advisory Board. Walker is known for campaigning on unpaid carers' rights, reform of Carer's Allowance, and the passage of the Carer's Leave Act 2023, which granted working carers the right to five days of unpaid leave.
References
- 1.Helen Walker, the chief executive of Carers UK: 'I'd make caring the tenth protected characteristic' – New Statesman — Confirms Walker as CE since December 2018; background in leading civil society organisations, fundraising and business planning; prior role as CE of TimeBank for ten years and Director of Fundraising at SSAFA.
- 2.Helen Walker – HSJ Summit — Confirms appointment to NHS Assembly and NIHR School for Social Care Research Advisory Board; confirms TimeBank and SSAFA background; confirms voluntary sector career of over 25 years.
- 3.People who have shaped us – Carers UK — Confirms Walker spearheaded Vision 2025 and that her tenure saw passage of the Carer's Leave Act 2023; confirms prior roles at TimeBank and SSAFA.
- 4.Five years on: Celebrating an important milestone for Chief Executive Helen Walker – Carers UK — Confirms Walker's five-year milestone at Carers UK and her account of the Carer's Leave Act 2023 as a key achievement during her tenure.
Expertise
Cited on
Stated areas of expertise
- Unpaid carer rights
- Social care reform
- Carer's benefits and allowances
- Workforce and employment policy
- Carer poverty
- Health and care system recognition of carers
Notable achievements
- Appointed to represent carers on the NHS Assembly, advising NHS England and NHS Improvement on delivery of the NHS Long Term Plan. Source ↗
- Led Carers UK's campaign work during the passage of the Carer's Leave Act 2023, which gave 2.3 million working carers the right to five days of unpaid leave. Source ↗
- Spearheaded delivery of Carers UK's Vision 2025 strategy, which strives for carers to be treated equally in all aspects of their lives. Source ↗
What they’ve said
“Far too many carers are currently repaying debts that the government should have told them about much earlier, or they should not have had in the first place. It's been devastating for carers, many of whom have been badly hit financially and it's taken an enormous toll on their mental health.”
chief executive of Carers UK · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · Government considering compensation for victims of carer’s allowance scandal ↗
“to put right the wrongs of the last 10 years”
chief executive of Carers UK · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · DWP to reassess hundreds of thousands of cases in carer’s allowance scandal ↗
“This is not a small number of people. Its scale and the devastation caused to so many families cannot be over-estimated, as was laid bare in Liz Sayce's report. Any suggestion that this is anything other than a systemic failure over a number of years is unacceptable.”
Chief Executive of Carers UK · Adult social care & reform · 27 Aug 2026 · Pressure grows on DWP over ‘misleading’ response to carer’s allowance scandal ↗
“Carers need to see clear, proactive communication about the timeline for the reassessment process. We have heard from carers who say that they are living with significant uncertainty.”
Source references
- Government considering compensation for victims of carer’s allowance scandaltheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
- DWP to reassess hundreds of thousands of cases in carer’s allowance scandaltheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
- Pressure grows on DWP over ‘misleading’ response to carer’s allowance scandaltheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
- MPs threaten fresh inquiry into carers allowance scandal amid redress delaystheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
- Older people risk mental decline if they do long hours of caring, UK study shows
Contact & links
- Staff pagehttps://www.carersuk.org/about-us/who-we-are/our-staff/
- Press office emailmedia@carersuk.orgpublished here ↗
- Press office phone020 7378 4937published here ↗
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Chief executives, directors and spokespeople of trade bodies, representative associations and charities speaking for the sector. Citations are counted by an automated scan of UK press coverage and may be incomplete. Roles, biographies and contact details are researched and human-reviewed before they appear here; anything not yet reviewed is simply absent rather than shown unverified. See the methodology for how this page is built, or email contact@bridgeheadcommunications.com to correct anything on it.