There are 23,870 carers in Milton Keynes. This number will rise to 28,160 by 2026* They are central to the delivery of personalised care services and to keeping older and disabled people out of ‘ costly’ hospital beds and out of ‘expensive’ care and residential homes.

On Tuesday 15 November Cllr Nigel Long Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Housing will extend funding for the highly valued Carers MK service.

Cllr Nigel Long

Cllr Long said, “As a Council we continue to face the most horrendous cuts as a result of Conservative Government austerity policy. We are working hard to protect services for older and vulnerable people. This funding for the period from now until 2019 is a great investment and highlights the really important role carers have to play in meeting care needs across our growing new city.“

A carer is ‘a person who provides unpaid support to family and friends, who could not manage without this help.’**

The extended service:

1. Works to identify carers who need support. It does this with GPs, the hospital;. Schools, employers and community groups.

2. Provides advice, information and guidance to carers

3. Provides enhanced support for carers.

Cllr Long concluded, “Carers MK has a great track record in Milton Keynes and I want to see them carry on with the good work. We have worked hard to protect this and other care services from harsh Government budget cuts. Without carers the lives of thousands of older and disabled people would be worse. So supporting cares gets my support every time.“

* MK Carer Strategy 2014-17. Page 11.

** The Carers Trust. https://carers.org/?gclid=CNDl86DQpdACFdaRGwodZqoOag