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Meeting of the Parliament 23 November 2011

23 Nov 2011 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Carers and Young Carers Strategy

McMahon, Siobhan Lab Central Scotland Watch on SPTV

Thank you, Presiding Officer. I apologise for breaking the system.

A recurrent problem with Government strategies is the glaring contrast between the words on the page and the reality on the ground. Indeed, the Government concedes in the carers strategy that

“policy developments have not always resulted in real improvements in carer support”.

That is not good enough. Words are empty unless they are translated into action. As Benjamin Franklin said,

“Well done is better than well said.”

I will give an insight into the reality on the ground by sharing with members my recent, sobering glimpse into the life of a carer, whom I shall refer to as X. X is the primary carer for her infant son and her ageing mother. Her son has a range of physical and mental health issues, which are best described as severe and complex and include recurring respiratory infections, frequent viral infections and a communication disorder. The problems first manifested themselves when the child was six months old, shortly after X became the primary carer for her mother, who has vascular dementia, diabetes and pernicious anaemia. X has two other children, who are aged 10 and four, and she works from home on a part-time basis, having been forced to resign a full-time post to care for her mother and son. Her partner is self-employed and works long, unpredictable hours.

For X, it is not simply a matter of being present for her mother and son. The time that she spends with them is physically and emotionally draining. Despite the difference in age, there are strange parallels between the care required by her mother and that required by her son. When she is with her mother, X must tend to the physical, mental and social needs of a person whose mind has long since left her. She must also shop for her mother and ferry her to and from hospital appointments. When she is with her son, she must again contend with a complex range of physical and mental requirements. Her son, like her mother, must be taken to and from hospital appointments, and he also struggles to communicate his mental and physical needs. He cannot be reasoned with or coaxed or cajoled as other children can be. Amid all that, X is left with little time for the rest of her family. She tells me that she tries to ensure that they do things together like a normal family but that neither her son’s nor her mother’s condition and behaviour are normal. For X, normality is a perpetual cycle of pervasive anxiety, stress and exhaustion.

How can we help X and others like her to escape that cycle? A useful and practical innovation would be the introduction of carers cards, which would be presented when the cared-for individual was admitted to hospital. A carers card would contain a brief description of the patient’s condition, thus removing the obligation on carers constantly to reiterate the position, which is an experience that many carers find stressful, depending on the circumstances of admission.

We need to focus on respite services, which would be of great benefit to my constituent and the many carers who face similar challenges in their daily lives. I welcome the minister’s announcement of £2 million for the short breaks fund, but I wonder how it will be managed. As the minister might know, Barnardo’s Scotland, which is heavily involved in the delivery of short breaks in Lanarkshire, thinks that there should be a clearer definition of “short break”. Carers who work with Barnardo’s Scotland regard short breaks as a lifeline that enables families to stay together and think that the service is invaluable in enabling them to cope with family life.

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Meeting of the Parliament 23 November 2011

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