The 2013 Carers Week campaign - Prepared to Care? – focused on how the UK's current carer population is coping, how effectively Government is supporting the growing numbers of carers, and whether the wider population is prepared for future caring responsibilities. It also aims to highlight the impact of caring on daily life and, with an ageing population and higher incidence of disability and serious illness, encourage the public to think whether they could manage a caring role and help those already caring to make sure they are accessing all the practical and emotional support they need to care safely and look after themselves.
Supporting the event for the third year in a row was Steve Brine, MP for Winchester & Chandler's Ford, who gave constituents the chance to speak with him about a range of topics; from local affairs to general concerns relating to caring and personal caring related difficulties they are currently experiencing.
Speaking afterwards, he said: "This is now the third year I have held a dedicated Carers Week surgery for constituents in Chandler's Ford and it was, as usual, humbling to hear some of the amazing things people do to look after family members when they are sick.
"I don't think as a society we look after carers as well as we might and the bureaucracy we put them through is often suffocating so it was so useful and gave me some further valuable insights to inform an upcoming Commons debate as well as a number of pieces of casework I am following up."
Carers Centre Manager, Lucy Sams said "It is so important to give Carers the time and opportunity to share their experiences and concerns with their MPs", "Having the MP's attend adds real value to the day, not only to the people that book to speak with them one to one, but also to the wider caring population and community, who see them supporting Carers and actively taking an interest in how their constituents are coping and what more they could be doing to help."
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