The National Carer Organisations – Carers Scotland, Carers Trust Scotland, the Coalition of Carers in Scotland, Minority Ethnic Carers of People Project (MECOPP), Shared Care Scotland and the Scottish Young Carers Services Alliance – have published a joint manifesto which they say focuses on improvements in the three areas that carers need most: access to support, help with their health and wellbeing, and financial security.

The manifesto calls on political parties in the run up to next May’s Holyrood election to ensure unpaid carers are supported by guaranteeing each can fully benefit from their right to a break, with sufficient investment to deliver this right; allocating at least 25% of Carers Act funding to local carers’ support organisations; and introducing mandatory young carer awareness training to all education staff.

To ensure unpaid carers can stay well, the manifesto calls for investment to deliver a dedicated ‘Tackling Carer Health Inequalities’ strategy for Scotland; the delivery of annual health checks, flexible GP and hospital appointments, and improved access to regular screening for unpaid carers. The organisations also want all unpaid carers to be able to access local support for their mental health and wellbeing, with investment in local counselling and emotional support services.

The manifesto says, to ensure unpaid carers are financially secure, Carer Support Payment needs to be revised, increased in value, and made available to more carers – including introducing a payment for older carers.

The organisations say the next Scottish parliament must deliver a minimum income guarantee for unpaid carers, require all organisations that get public funding to be ‘carer positive’, and deliver on past promises to end all charges for social care.

Carers Scotland Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Fiona Collie says policymakers must take steps to deliver more for unpaid carers:

“Too many carers are providing care for longer and more intensively at the expense of their own health, wellbeing and financial security.

“That must change.

“Our manifesto calls for bold action by the next Scottish parliament to fully deliver the support that carers need.

“We will be using the manifesto and campaign tools for carers and organisations to share this message and ensure that political parties and candidates know that carers’ votes count.

“In the run up to the election and in the final stages of this term, it has never been more important for MSPs and candidates to listen to the experiences of unpaid carers and take the action needed to prioritise their needs and invest in their futures.

“Simply put, carers cannot wait.”

Read more: Reform falls short of rhetoric for Scotland’s carers; Government to review user voices on IJBs; Growing health concerns for Scotland’s unpaid carers; Scotland needs more Carer Positive employers

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