The New Mental Health Act: Rights of Carers - information for people who care for a service user

6 Who is a primary carer?

The Act says that the primary carer is the person who provides all, or most, of the care for, and support for, the service user.

If there are two or more such carers they should decide between themselves who should be described as the 'primary carer'. Under the Act the primary carer has specific rights; this is why there cannot be more than one primary carer.