Excellent news from Lib Dem minister Paul Burstow on carers

Citywire Money reports on the latest work of Liberal Democrat minister, Paul Burstow, aimed to help those caring for others:

The ‘sandwich generation’ who are forced to look after elderly relatives as well as support children will be given a helping hand …

Under government plans, carers will be given legal entitlement to services that will help support them and their families, including the right to respite holidays, help with transport and training in caring. The details will be set out in a white paper due this month …

Care services minister Paul Burstow told The Daily Telegraph that people who cared for older family members were being failed by the system.

‘Carers are treated as second-class citizens compare to those whom they support,’ he said.

‘Yet if we don’t provide them with the right support they are unable to carry on with their caring responsibilities. One of the things I want to do is to place the rights of carers on a much firmer footing, so that the law recognises carers’ rights and their role in caring for others.’

Paul Burstow is a regular on the local Liberal Democrat party circuit, as a result of which I’ve heard him speak quite a few times since he became a minister and each time there is a question about carers, his passion for the issue clearly comes through.

What’s impressive is that he is successfully navigating action on the issue through all the budgetary, bureaucratic and coalition politics obstacles. One or two other Liberal Democrat ministers, ahem, could learn a lesson or two from that.