LABOUR – CARING FOR CARERSKent Labour has welcomed the announcement by Government of its new multi-million pound ten-year strategy for carers.Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities: a caring system on your side, a life of your own will drive improvements in the lives of Britain’s six million carers.The Labour Government’s strategy is backed up by £255 million to pay for immediate action alongside with medium and long-term plans.£150 million will go towards planned short breaks for carers, doubling the amount of respite time available in the next two years.Other commitments made by the Labour Government include £38 million towards supporting carers who want to combine a job with their caring role, and £6 million towards improving support for young carers. The Government also plans to pilot annual health checks for carers to help them stay well, and training for GPs to recognise and support carers. A more joined-up and personalised support service for carers will also be offered through clear and easily accessible information, targeted training for key professionals to support carers, and pilots to examine how the NHS can better support them.Tom Maddison, KCC Labour Shadow Cabinet Member for Adult Social Services, said: “There are around 128,000 unpaid carers in Kent, ranging from young people looking after a parent or sibling, through to older people looking after a husband or wife with dementia. Over three quarters of them are people of working age.“The Labour Government’s new strategy for carers is a big step towards making sure that society looks after their interests as well as they look after others.“I hope that KCC will now look back at the findings of its own Select Committee on carers and think about how it can work with the Labour Government and make use of the new Government funding available to offer a better deal for carers in Kent.”
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