ON the eve of National Carers Week, a call has been made for more to be done to protect the health of the UK's six million carers. Reporter CHRISTINA LLOYD met a family which has backed the call for more support. . .

ADAM Ibrahim is three today - but when he was born consultants predicted that no one could survive in his condition.

Hawa Ibrahim, 43, and her husband Mohammed, 51, of Whitefield Place, Blackburn, were told during the pregnancy that Adam would be born with spina bifida, a disease that effects the spinal column resulting in muscle weakness and paralysis below the waist.

Hawa, who cares for Adam full-time and has a daughter Safina, 10, said: "I knew Adam would be born like this, but we wanted another child so much. Part of me didn't accept what they were saying to me."

Eight consultants told Hawa that Adam would never function like a healthy child, but he started school at Broadlands School for special needs in Roman Road, three months ago and is learning to write.

Hawa said: "He's done really well, much better than we expected. Adam has brain damage and they said he would never be able to smile or recognise me, but he is verbal and very expressive. He enjoys going to school and knows all the children by name."

Hawa's GP has been excellent with Adam but Hawa needs more support. She said: "We can't book a holiday or go shopping. I would like to see a service where someone else will know Adam as well as I do and could take over in a crisis. No matter how unwell I might feel, I just have to carry on."

Carers Week, a partnership of four national charities, which has organised National Carers Week, claims people who voluntarily look after a partner, friend of relative save the Government £57billion a year. It has called on the NHS to ensure more GPs offer carers a special appointments systems to make it easier for them to gain treatment for themselves.

But there is hope for carers like Hawa.

Stephen Sloss, Blackburn with Darwen Council's director of social services, said: "Social services know that carers need support too. We are developing a new carers service with Blackburn with Darwen Primary Care Trust and the Princess Royal Trust after carers came to an event in February to tell us what they want from the service.

"We will now develop the service in consultation with carers to make sure that they get the support they need."

Although Hawa gets help from social services 10 hours a week, she is the only one that can look after him properly and lift him out of his wheelchair as her husband has a heart condition.

She said: "I feel very emotional. Adam picks up infections quickly and often he's very sick. His temperature goes high and low and he starts going blue.

"It's only me who can deal with him. I worry about what would happen if I wasn't able to look after him. I don't know how my family would cope."