'Absolutely vital' that we support unpaid carers properly, says North Herefordshire MP

Carers Week has just been marked across the country, serving as a reminder of just how much unpaid carers do, without reward and too often without recognition.

Across North Herefordshire, as in so many places, they are the people keeping families going, helping loved ones stay safe and comfortable in their homes, and enabling both our health and social care sectors to work better than they otherwise could.

Unpaid carers’ contributions are hugely worth celebrating, and it is also absolutely vital that we support them properly.

During Carers Week I spoke in the Chamber to press the government on this very point, asking the government to commit to providing greater respite care now, not in a few years’ time.

Unpaid carers in North Herefordshire tell me again and again that they face immense strain balancing their caring responsibilities and other commitments, and too many are trying to carry on without the breaks they need, or the financial support they deserve. That simply cannot be the settled way of doing things.

This push for greater support for carers is just one aspect of the wider work I have been doing as part of my campaign to reform adult social care.

I recently published my report on adult social care in North Herefordshire, drawing on local surveys and listening events I held with constituents who use social care, work in the sector, or are unpaid carers, and took those findings with me into the latest cross-party talks as part of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care. I’ve also met and written to government ministers to keep pushing for reform that reflects what people here are actually living through.

For unpaid carers, the changes needed are clear: more support, more respite care, higher and more flexible carers allowance, and a system that understands that care is not something families should be expected to patch together alone.

We need support that is practical, reliable, and respectful of the huge contribution that carers make every day.

I will keep pushing for that, in Parliament and here at home.

North Herefordshire MP Ellie Chowns