Speaking in the week the Government released its national new carers strategy - Carers at the Heart of 21st Century Families and Communities (see story below) - Lewis said Employers for Carers, Carers UK and the Government must work together to secure the changes needed to meet the challenges of a future society in which caring will increasingly be a part of everyday life.
"We need a systematic approach with a simple, consistent message," he said, warning that this was even more important in a time of economic difficulty. "Employers become more withdrawn from what they see as the social justice agenda in difficult times. But the missing link is employers, who are arguably more powerful - or at least as powerful - as government in effecting change."
BT director of people and policy Caroline Waters praised the carers strategy but stressed that "work needs to be continued".
"We need to build on the legacy of Employers for Carers; to build more awareness among employers and real engagement with them," she said. "It is critical that we see innovation in the market and that access to consistently high care services is widened, as well as looking at care vouchers, flexible working and the carers' allowance."
