From left to right: DEBRA UK Trust Fundraising Manager, Matthew Dear; MP for Hazel Grove, Lisa Smart; DEBRA UK Director of Marketing and Communications, Chris Clarke.

Earlier this week we exhibited at the Liberal Democrats Autumn Conference in Brighton. The conference was the first since the general election in July where they gained 72 seats, up from just 15 prior to the election. With many more MPs in parliament, the party will have a larger share of the vote, which is why we decided to attend as we need as many members of parliament as possible to be aware of EB to help ensure the needs of the EB community are listened to and acted upon. During the two days we were there we engaged with several MPs and members of the party whom we will follow up with to request their support.

Throughout the conference speeches it was encouraging to hear that fixing the NHS and improving social care, particularly improving support for carers, are key priorities for the Liberal Democrats. Both topics are very relevant to the UK EB community, we know this from the 2023 EB insights study where members of the community told us that there is a geographical imbalance of EB specialist healthcare which is creating added pressure for many due to the distances they must travel to attend vital EB healthcare appointments. We also know how much of a strain EB can cause on the mental health of both those living with the condition but also to their carers and that more needs to be done to improve the mental health support available.

You can also make a difference by writing to, or emailing, your local MP/MS or MSP and asking them to meet with you to discuss your EB and the impact it has on your quality of life, and the improvements you would like to see in terms of the healthcare support you receive locally.

To make it easy for you we have created a template letter for you to use. There are two versions, depending on if you have a DEBRA UK store in your constituency. If you need to check, you can find your nearest store here.

 

Letter if you have a store nearby

Letter if you do not have a store nearby

 

You can find out who your local politician is and how to contact them by visiting:

England and Northern Ireland

Wales

Scotland