Campaigns
Members of Uniting Carers are involved in a range of local and national intiatives to bring about real improvement in the quality and provision of care and support for people with dementia and for family carers who provide the lion's share of care. Members contribute, using their own experiences, to the development of national policy on dementia, older people and carers issues.
Your MP, Your Voice
If you're worried about proposed cuts to local services such as day centres or if you want to campaign for more Admiral Nurses then Make your voice heard!
Gt in touch with your local MP and let them know about the issues that matter to you and your family and what you think needs to change.
Your local MP needs to know how difficult caring can be and what kind of support is needed. What will make a real difference to your life and the life of the person you care for?
Remember, your local MP is your elected representative in parliament and works for you and it is their duty to represent their constituents' views in parliament.
Click here if you're not sure what constituency you are in.
Write to your local MP
- Write to, or email, your MP to voice your concerns or find out what they're doing to support carers in their constituency. You can find your MPs address here
- See our template Letters to MP. We've got two versions: a basic version that just requires you to add your MP's name and address and for you to sign and include your contact details, and a version that you can customise to include your own specific concerns (e.g. if you're concerned about the potential closure of a local day centre)
- If you can, include your personal story and background to your caring role
- Keep your letter brief but do include all relevant information
- Request a reply
Attend your local MP's surgery
- This is your chance to raise issues in person at your local MPs surgery
- You can either attend as an individual or you may wish to attend as part of a local carers group
Issues and questions that you might wish to raise in the letter or at the surgery
- If you have Admiral Nurses in your area let your MP know how important this service is to you. If you don't have Admiral Nurses then let your MP know what an invaluable service they provide. See our Admiral Nurses factsheet for information about this invaluable service
- What is your MP doing to support carers and carers groups in the local community? Let them know the support that you need
- Tell your MP if you're worried about cuts to local services and support
- Let them know the impact cuts will have on real lives and how life will become worse without certain services
- Access to respite breaks and day care
You can ask your MP to:
- Meet local carers
- Participate in a local event. If you know of a local event then invite your MP to attend, this is a great opportunity to get local press coverage
- Run a surgery dedicated to carers and carers issues
- Raise a question relating to carers in parliament
If you do ask your MP to get involved in an event or activity do thank them afterwards as they are then more likely to remember you and support you in the future, which is great for building a good relationship with them!
You may also want to write to your local councillors - some of whom will be newly elected - to find out how they are supporting carers and carers groups in the local community.
We'd love to know if you do contact your MP and if you hear anything back from them. We're also happy to help if you'd like any more advice about contacting your MP. Email Faradane O'Callaghan or call 0207 874 7203.
Resources to download
Letter to MP template - for you to customise