Author Archives: Maureen
Ed Miliband: Carers must be able to speak English
Ed Miliband: Carers must be able to speak English

14 December 2012
Ed Miliband toughened Labour’s approach to immigration today by saying that key public sector staff like carers must be able to speak English.
New rules for the public sector would insist that anyone seeking a job dealing with customers would have to speak the national language first.
“Many people being paid the lowest wages do a fantastic job working as care workers,” he said. “But older people of different backgrounds often say that the limited English skills of some care workers present them with difficulties.”
Census 2011: 2.1m unpaid carers devote over 20 hours a week to looking after loved ones
Census 2011: 2.1m unpaid carers devote over 20 hours a week to looking after loved ones
The burden on unpaid carers has increased significantly over the past decade, with nearly half a million extra people devoting more than 20 hours a week to looking after family and friends.
By Sam Marsden
5:27PM GMT 11 Dec 2012
One in ten residents of England and Wales – a total of 5.8 million people – devotes at least part of their week to caring for disabled, sick or elderly relatives and loved ones without any expectation of payment.
This is an 11 per cent rise from the 5.2 million unpaid carers recorded in the 2001 census, and comes amid a growing crisis about how elderly social care will be funded in the future as the population continues to get older.
The greatest increase was among those providing over 20 hours a week of care, with the number rising from 1.66 million a decade ago to 2.1 million in 2011.
For many unpaid family Carers Christmas will just be another day.
For many unpaid family Carers Christmas will just be another day.
Guest blog by Maureen