Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey has spoken to Stephen Dixon and Ellie Costello about the insight his new book provides into his life as a carer.Many of Davey’s loved ones have suffered with health issues, meaning he has taken on a caring role in many of their lives.He reflects on how he became closer to his family as a result of him looking after them more.Davey urged the Government to assist carers, saying his experience has given him ideas as to how it should be done.
00:00and something on which you have, we know, a great deal of experience.
00:03But first, can I just ask you, because I know you were listening in to that interview with Robert Jenrick
00:07and my producer is telling me you didn't seem too happy with what he was saying about immigration.
00:15I didn't know whether to laugh or cry listening to Robert Jenrick.
00:19The Conservatives really ought to start every interview with an apology, frankly.
00:24I'm not here to defend the Labour government's record.
00:27I think that needs to be vastly improved.
00:29But, you know, they didn't build enough prisons.
00:32We had record levels of immigration.
00:34They broke the system, particularly after Brexit.
00:37We had record levels of illegal and legal immigration under Robert Jenrick and the Conservatives.
00:42I mean, he was in the Home Office for much of this period.
00:45So I really think you need to ask him to apologise next time he's on your show.
00:51Can I also ask you about this breaking news that we've had in the past half an hour or so.
00:56The government has temporarily been banned from concluding its negotiations on the Chagos Islands deal.
01:03It was believed to have been signed today or hoped to have been signed today.
01:06This all down to an injunction that was granted in the early hours of this morning by a high court judge.
01:12Yeah, I mean, I haven't seen any of the details.
01:18Clearly, the Chagos negotiations have been going on for years now.
01:21They had several rounds under the Conservatives who, I think, if they'd been returned, would have no doubt concluded a deal, despite what they say now.
01:29Let's see.
01:30I mean, maybe it gives a greater chance for scrutiny.
01:32I'm all in favour of that.
01:33This government absolutely needs to be held to account for everything they do.
01:37Right.
01:37Can we talk about your book, which I see you grasping away in front of you, quite rightly so.
01:44Look, whether people agree with you politically or not is beside the point when it comes to this.
01:51Because you've had a rough ride.
01:54You lost your dad when you were four, your mum when you were 15, your son has a very serious condition that means he needs care.
02:02Your wife has been diagnosed with MS.
02:05I mean, you have always been a carer and it looks like always will be a carer.
02:12It's a tough time.
02:14It gives you an insight that most of us would never want.
02:16Yeah, but millions of people do look after their loved ones.
02:24I mean, many of your viewers this morning will know that they'll spend the rest of this day looking after one of their family members who needs care,
02:32whether it's an elderly relative, a disabled relative, or maybe a husband or wife who's got dementia.
02:37So it's actually an experience of millions of people.
02:40And one of the reasons I wanted to write this book was, yes, explain that I've had quite a lot of experience caring for my nearest and dearest,
02:49but that it's a story of many other people.
02:51Indeed, there's four different carers in this book telling their stories.
02:57And then I talk about how I think we should improve the system.
03:01And there's one thing I want to say that caring can be tough, but there's no point sugarcoating it.
03:07It can be a really challenging period of one's life, particularly when your mother's dying and you're looking after her as a young carer.
03:16But there are positive sides as well.
03:19I had a brilliant relationship with my mother.
03:21I became very close to her.
03:23Then when I looked after my nana, I couldn't have had a happier, better relationship with my grandmother.
03:29And then my son, we have a great time, lots of laughs, and I wouldn't be without him for the world.
03:35And one of my messages to the government is, if we look after family carers better, people looking after their loved ones, their nearest and dearest,
03:44do you know what?
03:45I think that wouldn't just be good for them and the people they're looking after.
03:48I think that would help with the challenges that we have with the health service.
03:52The health service really needs a lot of improvement, let's face it, and part of that is social care, and a big part of that is looking after family carers.
04:04So I'm afraid there's a serious point to writing this book.
04:08And you also talk about your ideas for fixing the system, and it starts with a good community model, doesn't it?
04:14So a named carer and a social worker to families, just like people would hope to have, a named GP.
04:22That's right.
04:24I mean, the GP has been the centre of the health service for a long time.
04:27It needs to be improved, doesn't it?
04:29We need many more GPs, and that's what the Liberal Democrats argued at the general election.
04:33If we're going to sort out the health service, we need that named GP, that family GP, for many, many more people, so they can get earlier appointments.
04:41But then when you look at care, I think we could actually do this rescue of care, which would help the health service in a relatively cheap way by having a named carer.
04:54These people exist at the moment, right?
04:55So it's not having new people, but making sure that the system doesn't require people to repeat their story time and time again.
05:03And so that when people are making decisions or giving advice, it's very efficient and you get the right advice.
05:10And so there's a lot of things that you could do within the current budgetary framework, which will make a massive difference for people's lives and really help them.
05:19Just a final thought. I'm quite struck by the fact you looked at some of the positives, because as you say, it clearly can be very difficult, whether a young carer or an older carer.
05:31But I'm very struck by the fact you said there are some benefits, there are some closenesses in relationships that develop as a result of all of this.
05:39Because it's important as well, isn't it, for those people who need to be cared for, that they don't feel like they're a burden on their loved ones.
05:50A hundred percent. And, you know, you could have looked at the way my brothers and I looked after my mum and said,
05:58do you know what, there should have been a lot more professional social care coming in and maybe we should have had some more support.
06:04And I think young carers do deserve more support. However, I wouldn't have wanted that to become all professionalised and done by outsiders,
06:13because in the family, I think my mother got not just better care, but a different type of care.
06:20And I'd lay for hours on her bed talking to her. And the relationship I built up with her was special.
06:27And you get insights into what life is all about, frankly. So I'll give you a little story that I write up in my book.
06:32I got on a, I think, 14 year old to a coach trip to Germany for about three days and we did a car park and I got out and I started talking to this German girl
06:41and had a nice conversation with her, had a photograph taken with her.
06:46And when I got back, we developed it, weren't digital photographs in those days, got it developed and showed my mum.
06:52And she looked at it and said, I wonder who you'll end up with.
06:56And the point there, when I reflected on it, is how parents think about who's going to look after their children when they're not there.
07:04And I think about that all the time with my disabled son, because no one's going to hold him and care for him the way that my wife and I do.
07:12And so I think there are so many families out there who worry about who's going to look after their loved ones who may be very, very vulnerable.
07:20So those insights into care and what people are thinking, millions of people are thinking, is really important for politicians to understand better
07:28and think through how we help people.
07:32That's a really nice point.
07:33Ed Davey, a real pleasure to talk to you about something which isn't just politics, a bit of an insight into you as a person.
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