We need better support for carers

22 May 2026

Victoria Collins, has renewed calls for stronger Government support for unpaid carers and better access to social care during Dementia Action Week 2026.

Dementia Action Week 2026, led by the Alzheimer’s Society, is raising awareness this week about the need for greater support and research into one of the biggest health challenges facing the UK. 

Families caring for loved ones with dementia often face significant pressures, yet many unpaid carers still struggle to access support. Victoria Collins has asked the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what recent steps are being taken to support unpaid carers of people living with dementia in Harpenden and Berkhamsted, and whether current support is adequate. 
 

Victoria Collins MP said:

“I am regularly contacted by local residents looking for support around social care linked to a family member with dementia. Behind every email or letter I receive is a family trying to cope with enormous emotional and financial strain while caring for a loved one.

“Dementia is one the UK’s biggest killers. It devastates lives, affects families in every community, and the scale of the challenge is growing. Every three minutes, someone in the UK develops dementia, and one in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime.

“Too many unpaid carers are being left to carry an impossible burden with too little support. Liberal Democrats believe carers deserve real backing, better respite care, stronger social care, and proper financial support. The Government cannot keep treating social care as an afterthought. Families facing dementia deserve a system that works, supports carers, and treats people with dignity and compassion.”