Tag: carers

Please ask your MP to Support the Carer’s Leave Bill

The second reading of the Carer’s Leave Bill will now take place on Friday 21 October. If you have time, please write to your MP using the template letter below.

We are supporting Carers UK’s campaign to enshrine the right to Carer’s Leave in employment law. The Carer’s Leave Bill from Wendy Chamberlain MP would provide unpaid leave for at least 2.4 million employees with unpaid caring responsibilities, helping them to juggle work and care.

We previously asked you to join us and support the campaign in September, but the second reading of the bill was delayed. The second reading of the bill will now take place on Friday 21 October, so there is still a bit more time to get more support from MPs for these important rights.

This is a really important opportunity to secure these landmark new employment rights for millions of people who are juggling their unpaid caring responsibilities alongside paid employment.

Write to your MP

If you have time, please contact your local MP using the template letter below, asking them to support the Carer’s Leave Bill.

Carers Leave MP Email – 21st OctoberDownload


There is space to include a quote from an older person or carer you support locally detailing how Carer’s Leave would help them and their loved ones, if you are able to include one.

For further information on the campaign, please contact Luke.Pilot@ageuk.org.uk or Carers UK directly via policy@carersuk.org.

Campaign Callout: Supporting the Carer’s Leave Bill

Age UK’s Campaigns Team are supporting Carers UK’s campaign to enshrine the right to Carer’s Leave in employment law. Find out how your organisation can get involved with the campaign too.

We are supporting Carers UK’s campaign to enshrine the right to Carer’s Leave in employment law. Wendy Chamberlain MP’s Carer’s Leave Bill would provide unpaid leave for at least 2.3 million employees with unpaid caring responsibilities, helping them to juggle work and care. Find out how you can get involved below.

This is a really important opportunity to secure these landmark new employment rights for millions of people who are juggling their unpaid caring responsibilities alongside paid employment. The Bill needs MP support before 9 September when it has its Second Reading.

Supporters of the campaign can complete this form that will help them send a letter to their MP, asking them to support the Bill.

There are two ways local Age UKs can support this important campaign:

Promote the action

If you have time, please use the resources – including social media graphics and suggested social media posts – in the campaign toolkit below to promote this action online.

Carers Leave Bill Campaign ToolkitDownload

Write to your MP

The more MPs support this bill, the more likely we are to secure these landmark employment rights. We would be grateful if you could contact your local MP using this letter template, asking them to support the Carer’s Leave Bill.

Template MP Email from Local Age UKsDownload

There is space to include a quote from an older person or carer you support locally about how carers leave would help them and their loved ones, if you are able to include one.

Thank you and keep in touch!

Thank you as always for your support with this campaign.

For further information on the campaign, please contact Eorann.Lean@ageuk.org.uk or Carers UK directly via policy@carersuk.org.

Cancer Support e-learning Resources from Macmillan

Macmillan have shared a set of e-learning resources to support older people who are living with cancer, which Brand Partners may wish to access.

Macmillan have been in touch with Age UK to see how we can work more closely together, by sharing the knowledge and resources we each have. Macmillan are in the process of revamping their e-learning offer but, in the meantime, have suggested that we in the Age UK Network might find the below resources helpful, given that many older people are living with cancer.

Please do feel free to share the links below with others who may be interested. We will continue the conversation and explore how we can develop the partnership further. Please contact Alison Ingram (alison.ingram@ageuk.org.uk) with any queries.

Access the e-learning resources below:

Carers Week 2022 – Partner Pack

With Carers Week approaching, Age UK’s Campaigns Team have put together a list of ways that local Age UKs can get involved.

This year, Carers Week will take place from 6th – 12th June and will focus on ensuring that carers are Visible, Valued and Supported. To support your participation in the week’s festivities, we have detailed some ways local Age UKs can get involved below, including some infographics and template wording for social media and a template letter to local media.

As you know, Carers Week is an annual celebration of the role unpaid carers have in providing thousands of hours of care to friends family and loved ones and also a chance to focus on how they could be better supported.

The theme for this year’s awareness week is ensuring carers are Visible, Valued and Supported. As well as highlighting the important work of unpaid carers, the coalition of charities delivering Carers Week will call on the Government to implement a proper plan to provide respite and recovery for unpaid carers who rarely, if ever, get a break.

To support your participation in the week’s festivities, we have detailed below some ways local Age UKs can get involved. Don’t forget to promote the services and incredible work you do to support carers!

If you have 5 minutes…

Add Carers Week activities to the website

Are you running an activity during Carers Week? Add it to the Carers Week website.

Whether your activity is online, or you are running a face-to-face event, make sure everyone knows how to get involved.

If you have 10 minutes…

Promote Carers Week online

Use Carers Week 2022 as an opportunity to share the experiences of older carers and to promote your services and events for carers.

Use these graphics featuring statistics about older carers to highlight the experience of older carers in the UK.

Use your social media accounts to highlight your carers services and to promote any events you might be delivering during the week. You can also find template Facebook and Twitter posts, focusing on older carers and to promote your services, here.

You can also find official Carers Week graphics and resources for download here.

If you have longer…

Send a letter to editor

Use this template letter to editor to write to your local newspaper and highlight the experiences of carers and the need for a proper recovery and respite plan to ensure they get the breaks they need.

Your local newspaper may have a long lead-in time, so try and submit the letter as soon as possible, but be clear the letter is for publication during Carers Week (6th – 12th June). The letter is embargoed until 00:01 on 6th June.

Storytellers

Do you know any carers or older people who are supported by an unpaid carer who would be willing to share their story? Please let us know if you know any possible storytellers and if they would be willing to provide a quote for your Carers Week promotion.

Get in touch!

We will have more materials to share with you once the Carers Week report is ready to be published. In the meantime, if you have any queries, please contact luke.pilot@ageuk.org.uk.

Age UK’s Briefing and Statement Following the Queen’s Speech

Following the Queen’s Speech, Age UK’s Influencing Team sent a briefing and statement to MPs yesterday. You can view both the briefing and statement below.

In response to the Queen’s Speech, Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:

“We were pleased that the Government committed to bringing forward legislation on mental health, rental reform and the energy price cap, but disappointed that a Bill to enact the Government’s promise to give unpaid carers the right to five days unpaid leave each year was absent.

We are also worried that an unintended consequence of the Government’s proposed Bill of Rights will be a weakening of the protections available to older people when their human rights are breached, for example, in a care home. The pandemic demonstrated a pressing need to extend and strengthen older people’s rights, especially if they are in vulnerable situations, so we will be urging Ministers to take this fully into account as they develop their reforms.

We would have liked the Government to have said more in the Speech about how they intend to help older people on low fixed incomes cope with soaring prices. This, together with long NHS waiting lists and problems accessing their GP, is the topic that older people tell us is worrying them the most.

That said, confirmation that the energy price cap will be extended beyond 2023 and a new law will be introduced to protect access to cash – both measures that we’ve been calling for – are very welcome.”  

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director, Age UK

You can read the full briefing sent to MPs below:

Age UK Parliamentary Briefing – Queens Speech 2022Download

Engage Britain seek ideas to improve conditions for those working in social care

Engage Britain are seeking ideas to make things better for those who work in care. Find out how you can share your ideas below.

Engage Britain, an independent charity, is bringing people together to help improve social care for all. They’re asking for people with experience of social care – whether through working in it, drawing on it, or running services – to share their thoughts on what could be done to make things better for those who work in care. Do you want to help make things better for people who work in social care? Share your Ideas for Change here.

Engage Britain want to make sure as many people as possible with experience and expertise in social care have the chance to get involved and have their say on solutions.

Click here to share your Ideas for Change, as well as provide feedback on what other people have said. The platform is live until 22nd May.

New guidance document: “Universal Principles for Advance Care Planning”

Age UK are pleased to be one of the 28 named organisations who have supported the development of, and contributed towards, a new guidance document “Universal Principles for Advance Care Planning”.

A new guidance document ‘The Universal Principles for Advance Care Planning’ has been jointly published by a coalition of 28 partner organisations, in response to the Care Quality Commission report ‘Protect, Connect, Respect – decisions about living and dying well’. Age UK are pleased to be one of the 28 named organisations who have supported the development of, and contributed towards, this publication.

This document is for the person, those important to them, practitioners and organisations involved in supporting advance care planning conversations and honouring their outcomes. It sets out six high-level principles for advance care planning in England.

For further information please click here.

Carers Active Project – Hub and Facebook Group

Carers UK have set up the Carers Active project to help make physical activity achievable, accessible, and affordable for unpaid carers. Find out all about the project here.

The Carers Active project from Carers UK has been set up to make physical activity achievable, accessible, and affordable for unpaid carers. A key part of the project is the Carers Active Hub and the Carers Active Facebook group, which are designed to help carers of all ages be more active and overcome some of the barriers to moving more. Find out full details about the Carers Active project and the Hub below.

The importance and positive impact of physical activity on carers’ health was highlighted again recently following the release of Carers UK’s Caring and Physical Activity report. It found that the impact of the increased amount of caring and the stress and anxiety of the pandemic has taken a clear toll on carers.

Now more than ever, finding ways to improve health and wellbeing is crucial. Around three quarters of carers do not feel that they are able to do as much physical exercise as they’d like to do and wanted to know how to build this into their busy lives.

We also know that:

  • 67% of carers said doing a range of physical activities helped them to feel more connected to other people.
  • 58% of carers said being active helped them to learn more about the importance of looking after their health.
  • Carers were more likely to categorise themselves as rarely or never lonely after finding an opportunity to exercise regularly.
  • Carers who take part in some form of physical activity say that their mental wellbeing improves as a result.  

Based on these findings, the Carers Active project has been set up to make physical activity achievable, accessible, and affordable for unpaid carers. A key part of the project is the Carers Active Hub and the Carers Active Facebook group, which are designed to help carers of all ages be more active and overcome some of the barriers to moving more. The Hub contains a range of advice and information about the options available for building more physical activity into life around a caring role.

The Hub includes the following:

  • Health information – key recommendations and how to get started
  • Activity ideas and sessions – inspiration and links to resources to help you find something you enjoy
  • Carers’ stories – carers share their experiences of getting active while caring
  • Expert advice – insight from health and social care professionals

You can access the Hub here.

You can join the Carers Active Facebook community here.

Covid-19 Update: Latest Briefing | Vaccine FAQs | Priority Vaccination Letter for Carers | Antiviral Treatment Trial

There’s lots of information in this latest Covid-19 update, including the latest briefing and vaccine FAQs. There’s also a priority booster vaccine letter for carers, and information on a new antiviral treatment trial.

This Covid-19 update covers the release of the latest Covid-19 Briefing from the Health Influencing Team, which can be downloaded below along with the latest FAQs about the Covid-19 vaccine. There’s also information on priority vaccinations for carers, including a letter from DHSC which can be given to unpaid carers or care staff without other ID to use as proof of status. Lastly, there’s some information about a study that the NHS is rolling out to trial new antiviral treatments for coronavirus. Full details on all of these topics can be found below.

Latest Covid-19 Briefing & Vaccine FAQs

The latest Covid-19 Internal Briefing is available for you to download below along with the latest FAQs on the Covid-19 Vaccine. The Briefing contains information on the Omicron variant along with some upcoming key dates. The vaccine FAQ covers questions recently asked by Brand Partners on the topic of vaccination and their obligations as employers.

Both documents are for internal use only.

Covid-19 Internal Briefing 17.12.211Download
Covid-19 Vaccination FAQsDownload

Priority booster vaccinations for paid and unpaid carers

Care staff and unpaid carers should be given priority at vaccination sites in order to get their booster jab. Please find below a letter from DHSC which can be given to unpaid carers or care staff without other ID as proof of status. We encourage you to download and share this letter with any relevant contacts across your networks to ensure that all frontline health care workers, social care staff, and unpaid carers can access a booster jab with as much ease as possible. Thank you.

Booster priority at vaccination centres letterDownload

New NHS Study into Antiviral Treatments for Coronavirus

Age UK’s Health Influencing Team have also been asked to raise awareness about a study that the NHS is rolling out to trial new antiviral treatments for coronavirus. Antivirals are a treatment usually taken in the early phase of an illness as soon as symptoms are detected, they aim to contain the virus and prevent it from progressing into a more serious illness.

Eligible patients will be contacted by the study team or a local healthcare professional to consider enrolling in the study, so we wanted to let you know about the study in case you receive any questions from those you work with.

This is not a medical trial, these treatments have already been approved by the MHRA as the medical regulator as safe and effective. The aim is to see whether prescribing the drugs as standard to some groups of patients when they test positive for coronavirus can help significantly reduce the number of people who need hospital care.

There are two possible treatments available:

  • The PANORAMIC national study is trialling oral antiviral drugs that can be taken at home. Anyone over the age of 50, who has been diagnosed with coronavirus within the last 5 days and has active symptoms, can volunteer to get involved. Antiviral drugs will be sent directly to people’s homes and individuals will be supported by a remote medical team. Care home residents are also eligible to participate and some care homes are working directly with the study organisers.
  • In addition, the most high risk patients are proactively being offered direct access to intravenous antivirals. These drugs are administered in hospital via a drip and are only available to those groups. Eligible potential patients will receive a letter or email explaining the trial and providing more information on how they will be contacted to participate if they test positive. Individuals who meet the criteria but have not been contacted can ask to be included via their GP or consultant.

The briefing below provides more information on the study, the treatments and eligible patients:

Covid-19 New Antiviral TreatmentsDownload

Trial support for carers who don’t speak English

UCL are applying for additional funding to translate, adapt and test iSupport in at least one other language in the UK. Find out how you can take part.

University College London (UCL) are currently delivering a trial evaluating the effectiveness of the World Health Organisation iSupport intervention for family caregivers of people with dementia. However, the intervention is only currently available for people who speak English, meaning that many do not have access. UCL are applying for additional funding to translate, adapt and test iSupport in at least one other language in the UK – probably Punjabi, though this will be driven by those available to work with UCL on this. If your local Age UK has links to groups of local carers who do not speak English and would like to take part, please contact Aimee Spector as soon as possible at a.spector@ucl.ac.uk. Thank you.