Vince Cable

MP Vincent Cable visited the borough's Carers Centre in Twickenham last week together with Debbie Pippard of the National Lottery and trustee councillor Nicola Urquhart, to discuss the centre's work in the wake of a lottery award.

Vincent Cable met carers and staff and appealed for greater recognition by the NHS, the government and the council of the crucial role played by voluntary carers: "there are about 1 in 6 people in the borough who care for a relative usually one elderly person caring for their partner but often a daughter caring for parents and, sometimes, tragically, school children looking after a terminally ill mother or father".

The Carers Centre now has over 1000 carers registered with it for help and advice and there is a rapid growth in demand as people become aware of it. The lottery grant is designed to help the centre publicise its work and reach more people who need help. Vincent Cable added: "there are several recurring themes. One is for the NHS to be more 'carer aware'; often patents are discharged without proper arrangements being made for them in the community or support for the carers. Another is the harsh benefit system which penalises carers who try to combine work and caring. And, then, there is often desperate need for respite. Charities like Homelink in Whitton play a key role, there, in providing respite".