Highly Commended
Embracing Carers® Initiative Merck KGaA Entry in Partnership with Nine Leading Carer Organisations
with support from Ketchum
Summary of work
Unpaid carers are foundational to today’s global health and social care systems. According to the International Alliance of Carer Organization (IACO), 259 million people worldwide currently act as unpaid carers, and they individually shoulder enormous responsibilities. But many feel invisible. And most don’t get the recognition or support—economic, health, psychological, or social—that they need.
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has always been acutely aware of the critical role carers play in the patient journey. Even at the best of times, unpaid carers suffer tremendous stress. This is why Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in 2017, set up Embracing Carers® in collaboration with nine leading global care organisations.
However, with COVID-19, the coalition saw a dramatic increase on demands and pressures. Clearly, the toll on unpaid carers needed to be recognised and addressed. In 2020, Embracing Carers® set out to quantify, for the first time, the global impact of the pandemic on carers. The resulting Carer Well-Being Index met with extraordinary interest and enthusiasm and resulted in extensive coverage in top-tier media outlets. More importantly, it spurred action in the form of new government-private coalitions and new proposed legislation to close gaps in support from focused measures provided by multiple players.
Judges’ comments
The sheer complexity of the Embracing Carers Initiative was really impressive. It demonstrated the importance of carers having the right support during the pandemic, which had not been happening previously. The geographic reach and scale of organisations involved is remarkable. The forming of the coalition to increase awareness of the problem and formulating key common themes could make a significant impact across society.
