Carer takes campaigning to Westminster

Carer, Wendy Maxwell has been fighting for carers' rights for many years. Aware of how isolating life can be as a carer, she set up a national carers support website 'Chill4us' so that carers could get companionship and practical help particularly when they were unable to leave the house. The website has also been able to build up momentum for campaigns for carers' rights.

Wendy and other carers decided that politicians often 'talk the talk' and what carers need are real answers to their problems. They are going to tell Ivan Lewis, the Carers Minister, exactly what being a carer involves, and what support would make a difference to their lives.

Wendy says  "Carers are fed up with being taken for a soft touch. We want change and we want to be valued."

She points out that the care provided by carers saves the NHS and social care system billions - if just 10% of all carers were to refuse to carry on their caring role and insist the state take over their caring duties that it would plunge the NHS and social services into melt-down, they simply couldn't cope."

Wendy also highlights how little support carers receive from the benefits system: "Carers are the only group of people in the benefits system that have to work a full working week to entitle them to some small allowance or benefit.”

Wendy and other carers from across the UK will be making these points strongly to Ivan Lewis.  They also have arranged to see Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrats Health Spokesman.

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The Chill4Us website is at www.chill4us.com

Wendy's comments appeared in an article in the Norwich Evening News. You can read the full article here...