Carer identification

The Carer Support Unit of the Central Coast Local Health District (New South Wales, Australia) is working with the District's inpatient cancer services to improve the identification of caring relationships for cancer inpatients. The first stage of the project was to do a literature review and environmental scan to assess the extent of the issue. We found significant barriers to carer identification, including: carer self-identification issues; definitional issues around the label 'carer'; system and process issues; and health workforce issues.

These are not easy times for carers in England. While English legislation and government policy are more carer-friendly than ever before, resources are under increasing pressure from both the exploding ‘demographic time-bomb’ and ‘austerity’. This has followed the global financial crash of 2008, subjecting the whole of the public sector to significant cuts. [...] If access to formal care has proportionately reduced, we must drive additional value from a more integrated voluntary and statutory sector ‘system’.