Bathgate and Linlithgow MP pledges to stand up for unpaid carers in Parliament
Bathgate and Linlithgow MP Kirsteen Sullivan has pledged to stand up for unpaid carers in Parliament and address the inequalities they face.
Kirsteen attended a Carers Week event in Parliament earlier this month and met with unpaid carers to hear about their experiences of caring and the inequalities they face, how carers can be better identified and recognised, and the support they urgently need.
The event was organised by Carers UK and supported by seven other Carers Week charities – Age UK, Carers Trust, Motor Neurone Disease Association, The ME Association, Oxfam GB, Rethink Mental Illness, and The Lewy Body Society.
Together, these organisations are calling on the Government to commit to undertaking coordinated cross-Government action in support of unpaid carers, leading to the delivery of a new National Carers Strategy.
Kirsteen said: 'Unpaid carers in Bathgate and Linlithgow provide a vital role in supporting family members and friends, often without support for themselves.
'The value of care they provide amounts to a staggering £184 billion each year – equivalent to a second NHS – yet too many face inequalities because of their caring responsibilities.
'Many carers face financial hardship, struggle to balance paid work and unpaid care, or go without essential support for their own health and wellbeing.
'I pledge to stand up for carers in parliament to ensure unpaid carers in Bathgate and Linlithgow receive the support they need and recognition they deserve.
'I support the call for co-ordinated cross-Government action in support of unpaid carers and a new National Carers Strategy, to tackle the inequalities unpaid carers face and deliver the support they urgently need.'
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