Labour pledges new support for families caring for elderly and disabled relatives

Shadow Minister for Care and Older People, Liz Kendall, will today set out the Party’s plans to improve support for England’s 5.4 million unpaid family carers.

The package of measures includes:

• A new duty on the NHS to identify family carers, so they can get the right help and support, and a new right for carers to ask for an annual health check – allowing problems to be identified earlier and prevent costs escalating.
• A single point of contact with care services for families caring for people with the greatest needs, so they don’t have to battle different parts of the system.
• Ensuring the funding currently identified for carers’ breaks is properly ring-fenced, to make sure all the money goes to family carers.
• Consulting with employers, trade unions and carers organisations on how to improve flexible working for family carers, which could include measures such as a new period of ‘adjustment leave’ to help families cope with a short-term crisis.
• Recognising the transport costs facing family carers, by including family carers in the groups who can be eligible for hospital car parking concessions.
• Abolishing the bedroom tax – which hits 60,000 carers and penalises them for the extra facilities they need. 

Liz Kendall is expected to say: "Family life is changing and more and more of us are looking after elderly or disabled relatives. This can often be a real struggle and many families feel pushed to breaking point. Too often carers have to battle all the different services to try and get the support they need. One in three family carers who are in paid work have to give up their job or reduce their hours because they can’t get the right help to care or flexible working hours. Most unpaid carers don’t have enough time to pay attention to their own health, and many don’t come forward for help or get any breaks. Often people don’t even see themselves as being a carer – they’re just a son, daughter, husband, wife or partner trying to look after the person they love."

"It’s not right that people who do so much get so little in return. We need to improve support for families, and Labour’s package of measures will make a real and practical difference to their lives." Ms Kendall is expected to add.

Responding to reports of Labour' proposals the Liberal Democrat, Spokesperson for Older people, Ageing and Care Paul Burstow said: “It is good to see Labour at least trying to catch up with the Liberal Democrats plans for carers. But if they were serious about helping our country’s unsung heroes they would be well advised to follow our ‘Carer’s Package’, which goes much further than their piecemeal reforms. Labour have form in borrowing Liberal Democrat ideas and they should borrow them again if they are serious about helping carers. Our package includes raising the amount carers can earn before losing their allowance, help with flexible working and support for those returning to work, as well as plans to for an annual Carer’s Bonus."