Professional-family relations

Much policy and practice attention has been focused on the participation and involvement of informal carers in service assessment, provision and review. The advent of the National Carers Strategy, the Community Care Delayed Discharge Act, Carers and Disabled Children Act and latterly the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act have all played their part in giving greater significance to carer involvement. The role of professional cooperation and willingness to see carers as equal partners is a key factor in achieving these objectives.

Background. Government health care policy urges service providers to involve service users in the decision-making process. Research studies have recommended changes to current health care practice to facilitate this involvement. However, carers’ organizations continue to highlight a gap between policy and practice in relation to involvement.

Aim: The aim of the study was to explore the information needs of informal carers, and how information from health professionals can become more effective for families caring for people with epilepsy. Methods: A combined methodology was used, comprising an interview study and a survey. Twelve in-depth interviews with carers were carried out. The questionnaire was developed using the interview data, to which 70 carers responded. Results: Four main themes have been drawn from the study.

Young carers are a global phenomenon. The UK estimates it has in excess of 175 000 young carers, the onset of their caring role often occurring between 8 and 10 years of age. Of these, 17 000 are caring for a parent who has severe mental illness, a significant factor for children entering the health and social care system, as up to 60% experience mental health difficulties themselves. This paper reports on the outcome of a participatory project aimed at better understanding the needs of young people.

The aim of this study was to help develop support services for carers of people with dementia on admission to a district general hospital. Qualitative methodology was used in the form of individual semi-structured interviews. These interviews suggest that service developments need to take into account the individual need of each carer. Identified themes included communication, vulnerability of the carers and the need to develop a therapeutic relationship with the carer as well as the person with dementia.

Aims.  This paper presents the results of a systematic review examining the practical information needs of informal caregivers providing home-based palliative and end-of-life care to people with advanced cancer.

Aims.  This paper reports a study to investigate the relationships between informal and formal care, changing relationships over time, impact of integrated care, and theoretical and methodological lessons that can be drawn from research on this topic.

Introduction: In Spain and the United Kingdom, more than 80% of people with schizophrenia are cared for by informal carers who are at risk of experiencing chronic stress. If this stress is not dealt with in time, a more serious disorder could develop. The present article aims to explore the role of nursing in this group of carers and attempts to answer the question: to what extent do nurses' views of their role affect their practice with carers?

Ask the experts is a forum in which consultant nurses working with older people debate an issue in older people's care and offer advice. This month, Soline Jerram, consultant nurse: older people and intermediate care, from Windsor, Ascot and Maidenhead PCT, poses questions brought to her by intermediate care staff and informal carers.