Supporting Carers

Chris Skidmore Excerpts

Thursday 1st July 2010 Westminster Hall

[Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) (Con)]

As a member of the Select Committee on Health and secretary of the all-party group on disability, I take a keen interest in this important matter, and I am very grateful to the Government for arranging the debate.

The figures mentioned in the debate are clear. As a nation, we rely on a silent army of carers—some 6 million people or 10% of our population—to look after and support the most vulnerable in society. Those people dedicate and sacrifice their own time and lives for the sake of those whom they love. Family members depend upon such people—as we all do—to ensure that those in the greatest need live the best possible lives, as they deserve.

We should not have this debate today without admitting the enormous emotional and, at times, physical cost that the role of a carer can bring. Some 1.9 million people care for more than 20 hours a week and around 1.25 million people care for more than 50 hours a week, although I suspect that the hidden figures—those that no Department is able to calculate—are probably far greater. Often the people who have to care for a relative, husband or wife—with whom they have spent their entire lives—who is incapacitated by dementia or physical frailty are themselves elderly. It is estimated that over-65s account for around a third of all carers who provide more than 50 hours of care a week. As a result, it is sadly of little surprise that carers are twice as likely to suffer from ill health, because they are providing such substantial care.

As the Minister said, caring comes to dominate the lives of such people, and as the recent figures released by Carers UK reveal, 76% of carers have no time left at all in their lives to do anything other than care for the relative concerned. We know that carers, through their selfless dedication, make an enormous contribution to society—estimated at some £87 billion a year—yet we must realise that carers do not do what they do for money or see their role in terms of the economic benefits. Carers looking after a relative or a member of their close family—a son or daughter, their father or mother—do so because of love.

I suspect that each of us in this Chamber has in some way cared for a relative—either in the final days of their life or through some period of illness or accident—and at times have been the single person responsible for that person’s well-being. That is an awesome burden to bear on one’s shoulders, yet we must consider that it is carried by some people every day, with tireless devotion. However, with that devotion, comes the sheer exhaustion of wanting to do one’s best to ensure that a loved one is best looked after. There may also be frustrations caused by the fact that such love is not reciprocated by the person being cared for and that, for whatever reason, they are unable to say thank you.

If a relative has a degenerative condition, a carer will also have anxiety about what the future might hold. At the same time, for a carer, considering having a few hours break or a temporary escape seems a betrayal of the love that is so clearly there. Too often, it is easy for politicians and policy makers to revert to statistics and jargon that is in many ways all too familiar to us in such debates. We must not forget that every carer has a personal story that cannot always be easily told—one that we can never put a price upon. However, we must accept that caring will take an ever greater role in the structure of our society.

As a result of improvements in the quality of treatment and medical technology, more children and young people are surviving with complex health conditions. It is estimated that 1.7 million more people will need care and support by 2026, because they are living longer, and they will need that care and support for a longer period. More people are living longer, with the number of people expected to live beyond 90 soaring. However, one in four of those people will probably suffer from some form of dementia. We must therefore recognise that, in this decade, more people than ever before will become carers.

The new Government are determined to do all that they can not just to recognise, but to improve the lives of carers across the nation—we must do so at every level—and I welcome the fact that the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has said that the Government want to

“enhance and support that role”—

of carers—

“ensuring that carers are valued throughout what we do”.—[Official Report, 14 June 2010; Vol. 511, c. 600.]

There is a need to ensure that the benefits system is easier for carers to access. Carers UK has said that:

“carers want to see the benefits system simplified since its complexity often prevents people from finding out about their entitlements”.

The welfare system that was inherited from the previous Government is hugely complicated, and simplifying the system should encourage fairness and responsibility. It is encouraging that the Government have stated that they

“will consider carefully the needs of carers as we develop our thinking on welfare reform.”—[Official Report, 7 June 2010; Vol. 511, c. 5W.]

I, for one, thank them for that.

There is an urgent need to balance the needs of carers who work—something that has been touched upon already in the debate. It is estimated that as many as one in five carers have left or turned down a job because of their caring responsibilities or because they feel social care support is insufficient. As the Minister has outlined, there is a strong case for increased flexible working. Currently, flexible working is available to employed parents of children aged under 17, disabled children under 18 and carers of certain adults. Therefore, approximately 10.5 million employees benefit under the current legislation, including 8 million parents and 2.65 million carers of adults, yet Carers UK points out that up to 79,000 carers do not request flexible working

“because of the way that the complex definition of carer has been put together.”

That must change.

Extending the right to request flexible working to all employees should help those carers. The coalition agreement contains the commitment to

“extend the right to request flexible working to all employees, consulting with business on how best to do so”.

Following on from that, the Government have maintained that extending the right to request flexible working to all will ensure that individuals within the wider caring structure—for example, grandparents and neighbours—can also take a more active role in caring and managing their work and family lives effectively. That extension will also remove the stigma attached to flexible working requests, as the Minister has mentioned. Both those developments are welcome.

I welcome what the new Government are setting out to achieve in improving the lives of carers and in granting them greater independence, so that they can live their lives as best they possibly can. As the Prime Minister has said,

“carers are the unsung heroes of our society…the work they do to help disabled people is simply invaluable. Just imagine what would happen if all the carers in this country suddenly packed their bags and left. It’s not just that the financial cost of looking after so many disabled people would be a massive burden on the state. It’s the sheer emotional effect on all the people who depend, day in, day out, on their love and care.”

Carers across the country do so much for so little. We must do even more to ensure that they are supported and looked after, which I know the new Government will do their best to achieve.