I write in response to Derek Baker’s letter regarding carer champions (“Listening is at heart of change”, Your Views, July 17).
As a former carer myself, I am fully supportive of any initiative which aims to support carers and/or the people they look after.
That’s why I spent a whole morning last November meeting with the carer champions, to listen to their experiences and to learn more about the scheme — quite contrary to Mr Baker’s claim that I refused to hear from them.
The carer champions report was brought to the health and wellbeing board in May at my insistence and at the request of then councillor Victoria Silver, who was asked to present it.
As I made clear at the meeting, Harrow’s carers are a vital asset —doing difficult work under often difficult circumstances. However, it’s also important to recognise the extraordinary work carried out by Harrow Borough Council’s carers’ team and to ensure factual accuracy when talking about carers — which are both areas where I felt the report was lacking.
I welcome any attempts to better the ways in which the council works with and supports our fantastic carers and the carer champions project provided some useful ways forward in this respect.
I do not, however, believe it to be the panacea that its most ardent supporters insist it is — which I suspect is at least part of the motivation behind Mr Baker’s letter.
Cllr Susan Hall
Leader of the Conservative Group
Harrow Borough Council
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