Tunstall Supports Leading UK Charities in Call for Tax Breaks for Carers

Yorkshire-based telecare provider believes tax breaks will help carers to better balance work and caring responsibilities

[UKPRwire, Wed Aug 08 2007] Yorkshire-based telecare specialist Tunstall has joined forces with a group of major charities including Carers UK and Help the Aged to call for tax breaks for working people who care for older or disabled relatives.

The consortium of charities has met with Government officials at the Department of Health and Work & Pensions to discuss the tax breaks, which would enable carers to provide additional care for relatives, and to better balance their jobs with caring responsibilities.

An estimated six million carers currently provide support to older friends or relatives and to those with learning or physical disabilities, illnesses or long-term needs – a figure which is likely to double over the next forty years.

Our ageing population means that many more carers are working while looking after an older person. Employers and government could support these carers and attract others back into work by offering care vouchers with tax breaks, helping to close the UK’s “care gap”.

Caring is a major cause of early retirement and the proposed scheme will aim to address this by enabling carers to continue working. Modelled on the existing childcare vouchers for working parents, the scheme would help employees who are carers and could be used to buy a range of services for relatives, including telecare and assistive technology, extra home care and home repairs.

Ali Rogan, Group Marketing Director at Tunstall said: “Tunstall is keen to support the Care Vouchers scheme, which will provide invaluable support to individuals who balance employment with caring responsibilities. The initiative will highlight the wide range of services available, including innovative technology.

“Telecare isn’t intended to replace people, but it can allow the carer to have a good night’s sleep, enable them to manage difficult situations in an effective and reasonable way and can also make spending time away from the house a possibility for the carer.”

Tunstall works closely with care providers across the UK to provide advice and support. Its telecare solutions have been used to develop new models of care, transforming the lives of carers and the people they care for by supporting health, independence and well-being, whilst also providing peace of mind and reassurance for friends and relatives, who can be notified immediately should assistance be required.

The company has also developed the Support for Carers Technology Guide, designed to offer practical advice on the conditions and challenges faced by carers and how telecare can be used to provide round-the-clock support and reassurance, to reduce some of the pressure on carers. To download a copy visit www.tunstall.co.uk/downloads or call 01977 660479.

Lifeline units provide a link to a 24-hour response centre if help is required, and a range of intelligent telecare sensors raise an automatic alarm if falls, intruders or environmental extremes such as fire flood or gas are detected.

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Notes to editors:

Recent research by the London School of Economics, launched on 11th July, has predicted that for a £37m investment from government, £83m could be generated for care services. This could pay for an extra 5.5 million hours of home care, or the equivalent amount of telecare solutions.

Further information about the Campaign for Care Vouchers, and the London School of Economic research itself is available at: www.carevoucherscampaign.co.uk

About Tunstall
Tunstall is the market leading provider of telecare and telehealth solutions, with over 2.5 million users globally. Tunstall’s solutions support older people and those with long-term needs, to live independently, by effectively managing their health and well-being. Tunstall provides technology, expertise and advice to millions of people enabling them to lead independent more fulfilling lives. For more information on how telecare and telehealth can improve quality of life, visit www.tunstall.co.uk