Nadine Urges Carers To Find Out About Support
Posted by Nadine Dorries, MP for Mid Bedfordshire, at 15:30, Fri 7 December 2007:
This week I have added my support to a national campaign, which is urging working age carers to seek advice about support they might be able to get to help juggle work and care.
What many carers might not know is that people looking after disabled or ill people, unpaid, have the right to request flexible working patterns at work. All the evidence shows that this can make the difference between staying in employment or leaving. Employers also say that business often benefits from retaining key staff and productivity.Over 90% of requests to work flexibly have been granted by business, but so many carers still don’t know about the new right.
It’s a real concern that carers in Mid Bedfordshire may not be getting all the help they are entitled to. Carers need support – they are fulfilling a vital role in society and without them the NHS and social care system would not be able to cope. It is essential that they are given information about their rights so that they get the support they need and do not live in poverty, risking their own health and future prospects.”
Carers can get in contact with Carers UK, via its helpline, CarersLine 0808 808 7777 or vist their website: http://www.carersuk.org
The Carers Rights Day campaign, run by Carers UK, seeks to increase the take-up of benefits and raise awareness of carers’ rights and the support that they might be able to get. It might be new technology in the home, meals on wheels, or council tax discount that makes a difference.
There are over six million carers in the UK who provide essential support to family, friends and neighbours, saving the country £87 billion each year. One in five carers has to give up work to care and this advice could make all the difference.
If you have any thoughts or views on this, or any other issues then please get in contact with me in the usual way.
Write to me at: Nadine Dorries MP House of Commons London SW1A 0AA
Telephone me on: 020 7219 4239
Fax me on: 020 7219 6428
Email me at: dorriesn@parliament.uk
Visit my website at: www.dorries.org.uk
Nadine
Nadine Dorries MP Member of Parliament for Mid-Bedfordshire.
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Posted by Margo Morriss, 07:42, Wed 19 December 2007: (Is this post abusive?) #
Thank you for your email message about urging carers to seek advice etc. It is good to see you supporting these things. Being a carer myself of a child with diabetes I know how difficult it is to manage their care. This is why I sent you an email letter on 15th November regarding the support of children with diabetes in schools, urging you to sign an EDM. I have not yet received a reply from you regarding this and would like to know if you have supported this motion and if not what your reasons for this are. My original email follows. Look forward to receiving a reply. Kind Regards Margo Morriss
Margo Morriss 11 Manor Farm Close Barton Le Clay Bedford Bedfordshire MK45 4TB
Email: margomorriss@hotmail.com
Thursday 15 November 2007
Dear Nadine Dorries,
DIABETES IN SCHOOLS AND THE LIVING WITH DIABETES IN SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN
An Early Day Motion was proposed yesterday (World Diabetes Day) by Helen Southworth MP:
"That this House welcomes World Diabetes Day and the Living with Diabetes in Schools campaign run by Diabetes UK, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, INPUT and UK Children with the Diabetes Advocacy Group, which aims to improve care and support for children with diabetes at school; also welcomes the Medical Conditions at School Policy Resource Pack from Diabetes UK, produced in conjunction with the Anaphylaxis Campaign, Asthma UK, Epilepsy Action, and Long Term Conditions Alliance and designed to help schools develop an effective overall policy for children and young people with medical conditions; recognises that many schools are not properly supporting children in managing their diabetes and are consequently preventing them from taking part in various physical activities and extra-curricular programmes; further recognises that 70 per cent. of children with Type 1 diabetes who are unable to administer their own insulin rely on a parent visiting the school to do so due to a lack of coherent policies for managing diabetes in school; and calls upon the Government to support children living with diabetes and issue guidance to local education authorities to encourage and support schools to develop and implement policies that result in best practice in the management of diabetes and enable full participation of children with diabetes in school life."
I am writing to encourage you to support this EDM. I have a child with diabetes Type 1 and am a member of Children with Diabetes Advocacy Group (mentioned above) who are trying to make school life easier for children with diabetes.
My son is 12 and is able to do his own insulin injections at school, but many younger children are not able to do their own injections or make the decision of how much insulin they require to cover their lunch time meal. Many parants have had to give up work (usually the mother) to go into school at lunch time to administer the insulin injection. I beleive that in Luton many children are on a 'two insulin injections a day' regime and stay on this regime to avoid the lunch time injection issue, whereas using the four injections a day regime (known as MDI - Multiple Dose Injection) would give their children much better control of their diabetes and ultimately better long term prospects of not developing future complications (which include blindness, amputation, heart disease, kidney failure, neurological complications etc).
I do sincerely hope you will add your signature to this EDM.
Yours sincerely,
Margo Morriss
Posted by Nadine Dorries, 10:47, Thu 20 December 2007: (Is this post abusive?) #
Dear Margo Morris,
With reference to your recent message to Nadine Dorries MP, regarding EDM 231 tabled in the name of Helen Southworth MP, regarding Diabetes in Schools and the living with diabetes in schools campaign.
Nadine has requested I contact you on her behalf and thanks you for getting in contact with her about this issue.
May I first of all take this opportunity to apologise the delay in this response to your original email.
Nadine advises me that she intends to sign EDM 231 and will submit her signature to the table office at the House of Commons later today - she also intends to raise this matter with the Government as well as Bedfordshire County Council.
In the meantine, if you have any further points that you would like to bring to Nadine's attention on this or other issues then please do not hesitate to get in contact with me.
Thanks again for getting in contact - and all the best for the Christmas period!
Kind regards
Peter
Peter Hand Office of Nadine Dorries MP Member of Parliament for Mid Bedfordshire.