Many of my patients have a friend or relative who care for them because they are elderly, unwell or have a disability requiring extra support.

These loved ones vary in age and relationship to the person that they care for, from a grandchild to a grandfather, cousin, husband, friend or neighbour.

More than 27,000 people in Newham provide unpaid care for others, more than many other boroughs in London.

As a local GP seeing patients every day, carers are a lifeline for the NHS. Carers are experts in their own right and help manage long term conditions with their loved ones and health care professionals. This army of carers are absolutely vital to our society, without them our NHS and social care services would be in real trouble.

Being a carer can be exhausting. Many spend hundreds of hours putting the needs of the person they are caring for ahead of their own and not getting the emotional and financial support they deserve and need, mainly because they do not recognise themselves as carers. It is important for carers to know about support available to them that can help them maintain their caring role as well as being able to lead their own lives.

We know that working with carers we can achieve so much more for those who need support. In Newham we are working closely with carer organisations and carers of all ages. Together we have developed a Carers Strategy that aims to get carers more involved in decision making about the people they care for and also their own health and wellbeing.

We work closely with Newham Carers Network, offering carers direct services and signposting them to onward health, social services, welfare benefits, education and training support. To find out more call 0208 519 0800 Monday to Friday between 10am to 5pm. I would like to say a big thank you to carers for the positive impact and difference they make to those they care for.