Public+services+-+Social+Services+-+carers'+respite+protest+(5.2010)

Haringey Advertiser - Wednesday, 19 May 2010 By Lucy Purdy
 * Carers demand the £750,000 given to them for respite help **

A GROUP of carers who take care of family members with learning disabilities descended on the headquarters of NHS Haringey last week to demand that £750,000 allocated for respite care is released.

The committed carers joined Sue Hessel, officer for vulnerable groups within Haringey Federation of Residents’ Associations, to deliver a letter urging the cash to be handed over so carers can take their much-needed breaks.

Hundreds of carers in the borough struggle to cope alone with family members who have problems such as autism, Alzheimer’s and multiple and profound disabilities.

Ms Hessel told the Advertiser: “We thought it was important this letter was publicly received by the chief executive’s office so everyone knows we are demanding that the £750,000 allocated by central government to NHS Haringey for carers to have much-needed breaks is released to them.

“These people are under terrific strain. They care for people 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and a lot of them have been carers for decades – we’re not just talking about six months or something. This is about many, many lives and lots of different people.”

Ms Hessel said that a Freedom of Information demand by The Princess Royal Trust For Carers revealed central government allocated more than £750,000 to NHS Haringey for carers to have their breaks.

She added that it was vital for the health of the carers for them to have respite time.

Victoria Dimandja, who lives in Pulford Road, Tottenham, said she feels “totally worn out” after caring full-time for her severely autistic son Jospeh. Ms Dimandja, 50, told the Advertiser she had been struggling for about ten years to get some respite time.

She said: “I do everything for Joseph: wash him, feed him and I often stay up all night to watch over him as well because he has such difficulty sleeping.

“Now Joseph is 20 years old he wants to be independent. He no longer wants to hold my hand when we’re out for example. But I have to do it because he has no sense of danger.

“Caring for Joseph has really affected me. He’s becoming stronger and I have back problems and feel totally worn out. Having some respite time would mean everything because it would mean I have some time to myself.”

A spokeswoman for NHS Haringey said: “No identifiable sum of money was made by the government to NHS Haringey for carers. This means it is impossible to accurately calculate any additional sum of money we have been given to support carers.

“NHS Haringey continues to treat people with long-term conditions who are being looked after by carers. We also work closely with the council and carers’ associations to help carers and the people that they look after.”

But Ms Hessel added: “If this money is released, everybody would win. It would be nice to hear some words of remorse, and then for those to be followed by action.”

//Exchange: Sue Hessel hands over the petition to Duncan Stroud, assistant director of communications for NHS Haringey at St Ann's Hospital//