Category Archives: health

‘Carer support charities are indispensable’

Sunday 03 April 2016

Dr Dan Poulter

Last week in Parliament I hosted an event to launch a campaign to raise awareness about child carers.

Honeypot, a children’s charity which gives respite care for carers aged five to 12, launched their campaign For Children Who Care to encourage MPs to recognise the challenges faced by young carers and to raise awareness of the need for respite care and to support organisations such as Honeypot.

Honeypot is the only UK charity providing consistent and regular support to young carers between the ages of five and 12.

Young carers face significant responsibilities and often find it difficult to relate to their peers, concentrate in school and play with their friends.

Honeypot offers these children a safe place where they can simply be children, in a supportive, safe environment.

Health experts add voice to our campaign to save vital helpline

As petition reaches more than 4,000 signatures

Two more health figures today add their opposition to the closure of a vital helpline which callers’ say saves lives.
Alex Stewart, chief executive of Healthwatch Norfolk, and Brian Watkins, chairman of Norfolk County Council’s health and wellbeing committee, both said the Norwich and Central Norfolk mental health helpline should continue to be funded.

Unpaid carers for the elderly ‘much more likely’ to suffer distress than professionals

FAMILY or friends who act as unpaid carers for elderly people are much more likely to suffer emotional, physical and financial distress than professionals, according to new research.

The study suggests such volunteers are three times more likely to be less productive at work due to distraction and fatigue.

Researchers say this is a significant and often unrecognised cost borne by employers.