Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, is supporting Carers Rights Day and has joined Wealden charity Care for the Carers in encouraging local carers to understand their rights.
A carer is anyone who looks after someone who couldn’t manage without their help. This could be a friend, family member or neighbour who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction could not cope without support. Two out of three people will become a carer at some point in their lives. It can happen at any time and to anyone, and it has a huge impact on a person’s life.
73% of people who care for someone don’t know they are a carer, and as a result miss out on essential financial support or practical support. This can include key rights such as flexible working, being consulted on hospital discharge, being identified as a carer by your GP and the right to a Carers Assessment and Carers Allowance.
Anyone over the age of 18 who looks after someone on a regular basis, is entitled to have a Carers Assessment. This looks at the care you provide and how this affects your life, and importantly, tells you about the support available to you.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Carers play a vital role in ensuring that so many people across Wealden have better quality of life and personalised end of life care. The wellbeing of carers is all too often forgotten, and Carers Rights Day is an important campaign to raise awareness about the support available. I’m pleased to be teaming up Care for the Carers who provide free wraparound service for carers in Wealden and across East Sussex to ensure that no one is left to care alone. I am hugely grateful for the amazing work Wealden carers do everyday, and I continue working with our fantastic local charities, organisations and care homes to ensure that Wealden carers are better recognised and supported.”
If you care for someone who could not manage without your help, and you’d like to know more about support available and your rights as a carer, call Care for the Carers on 01323 732390 or visit www.cftc.org.uk.
