Unpaid carers meet MPs for Carers Week Networking Session

For a second day running unpaid carers from across the UK have descended on Westminster to call on MPs from all parties to provide more support for carers.

Many unpaid carers have had to give up work because of their caring role and are now being pushed into acute financial hardship as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

So today’s networking session gave unpaid carers the opportunity to talk directly to MPs and parliamentarians about their caring stories and to highlight the very real challenges so many family carers face as they struggle to care for a sick or disabled family member with little financial and practical support.

The session in Parliament’s Portcullis House was staged as part of this year’s Carers Week with unpaid carers from the six charities supporting Carers Week, including Carers Trust, attending.

Representing Carers Trust were Neil Man, a parent-carer for his 24 year old son who has an ultra-rare neurological condition called KCNH1, is non-verbal and requires 24 hour care; Karen Hinton-Platt who had to give up her career to care for a mother with dementia; and Chandra, a 17 year old young adult carers who cares for both her mother and sister while studying hard for her A Levels.

Scores of MPs from right across the political spectrum came to the networking session, including Sir Ed Davey, Wes Streeting, Sarah Green, Sally-Ann Hart, Fabian Hamilton, Caroline Dinenage, Marion Fellows, Wendy Chamberlain, John McDonnell, Ian Duncan Smith and many others.