National service

DAVID Cameron’s bitter exchanges with Ed Miliband at Prime Minister’s Questions have already provided a foretaste of the next general election campaign – which party can outspend the other when it comes to NHS spending.

By The Newsroom

Published 10th Jun 2013, 09:50 BST

Yet neither leader, nor Nick Clegg, have mentioned the country’s growing dependence on carers – the unsung heroes whose devotion to loved ones is propping up the National Health Service and cash-hit social care budgets.

The numbers are stark. There are now 6.5 million carers in the UK – a figure that is comparable with the number of people who voted for the Liberal Democrats at the last election. Furthermore, 6,000 people are taking on new caring responsibilities each and every day of the week.

They are statistics that cannot be ignored as a special campaign prepares to shine a light on this hidden army of carers who are paying a heavy personal price because of the failure of successive governments to put in place sufficient practical measures to enable the elderly and infirm to live with dignity during their twilight years.