Wednesday 19 September 2007

Carers Count

There is to be a National Carers Summit and the AGM of Carers UK held in London, at Canary Wharf on 8th November - details can be found here. This is to be an important meeting as the idea is to draw up a list of 'wants' to be included in the Govt plans - National Carers Strategy.

Now there is also the question of whether carers should be counted in the next census which is due in 2011. The census of 2001 was the first time that a question had been included to find out how many people were acting as a carer - for family member, friend or neighbour. There is some doubt as to whether this question should be included in the next census. Although the information has proved invaluable for the planning of health services, social care and respite care etc. - there is chance that the question will be dropped in 2011. All questions for the next census have to be approved by Parliament.

Carers do not get much recognition of the role they perform. It is important our Government know just how many people are helping out by providing unpaid care in the community. Often in an informal, unrecognised way.

Everyone is asked to write and request that the questions on caring for others is retained in the next Census to:

The Census Director
Office of National Statistics
Segensworth Road,
Titchfield,
Fareham
HANTS. PO15 5RR

Copying your letter to:

Karen Dunnell
National Statistician and Registrar General
Office for National Statistics
1 Drummond Gate
London SW1V 2QQ

and

Ivan Lewis MP
Minister for Carers
Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London SW1A 2NS.


The letter to the Minister is critical as the Department of Health can fund the carer question. You could also send a copy of your letter to your own MP. If you are not sure who your MP is you can find out by inserting your postcode on this website. Just click on the link which follows: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/

More information on this can be found on :

http://www.carersuk.org/Newsandcampaigns/KeepCountingCarers/QuestionsabouttheCensus

http://www.carersuk.org/Newsandcampaigns/KeepCountingCarers

http://www.carersuk.org/Newsandcampaigns/KeepCountingCarers/Whatyoucando

4 comments:

Robert said...

I'll be writing.

Thanks for the info!

clivegsd said...

I won't be writing.

The National Carers Strategy is another PR exercise being run along the Standing Commission for Carers (both actually EXCLUDE Carers, Carers charity employees get to speak on our behalf, that's not acceptable)

As for Carers UK's AGM, again an irrelevance, a TINY proportion of their own members will get there because AS USUAL it's being held in London, an expensive part of London at that. It will be the same self-congratulatory meeting where they celebrate the fact that in 40 years of existence in one form or another Carers are STILL getting shafted.

The latest news that Carers now save over 80 odd billion pounds a year was interesting but what is beign done to get Carers a realistic income for what they do? Absolutely nothing, could the reason Carers UK don't challenge the government enough be that their biggest source of income comes directly from the same government? (that fact can be verifie)

Anything to do with this charity should be questioned and looked on with suspicion.

Poetess said...

Words fail me.

Anything that will get the recognistion of carers seems good to me.

Poetessxxx

Thanks for the post CC

Penny Pincher said...

Hello Robert, that's good.
Thanks for visiting clive - goo dpoint about the meetings invariably being held in London. but that is the trouble with anything of a political basis - they are so unaware of what it's like outside the big cities.
Perhaps Carer's should take to the streets like the customers did at Northern Rock banks? Or maybe we should take our ill and cared for and 'dump them' on a NHS hospitals and run home - change the locks and refuse to have them home until our roles as carer are recognised? now there's a thought!
Oh dear - a wordless poetess! thanks for calling in again. x