social care

Personal budgets aim to increase choice and independence for people with social care needs but they remain underused by people with mental health problems compared to other disability groups. The use of personal budgets may impact on families in a variety of ways, both positive and negative. This paper draws on interviews, undertaken in 2012-2013 with 18 family carers and 12 mental health service users, that explored experiences of family involvement in accessing and managing personal budgets for a person with mental health-related social care needs.

This report updates the estimate of the value of unpaid care published by Carers UK in 2002 in ‘Without Us…? Calculating the value of carers’ support’. Based on data available for the first time at local as well as at national level, and on comprehensive information about the time carers devote to supporting those who need their help, the report reveals just how crucial carers are to the health and social care system and to the UK’s economy. 

Much of the 150million earmarked by the government to help carers never reached them. Where PCTs did pass on funds it has made a crucial difference. The author reports. [Journal abstract]

Drawing on carer narratives from research undertaken in New Zealand, this paper considers the interrelationship between place and the care-giving experience. In doing so, it considers: first, how informal carers of older people experience the transition in the place of care from the home to care homes; second, how they negotiate new identities for themselves as carers in these new care settings; and third, carers' views on how we might develop more inclusive models of care in care home settings.

This paper updates an earlier extensive review of research into the incidence and management of risk in adult social care in England, and addresses gaps identified in the earlier review. This paper aimed to identify only empirical research published since 2007 and concentrated on research conducted and published within the UK.

Many long-term care systems in economically developed countries are reliant on informal care. However, in the context of population ageing, there are concerns about the future supply of informal care. This article reports on projections of informal care receipt by older people with disabilities from spouses and (adult) children to 2032 in England. The projections show that the proportions of older people with disabilities who have a child will fall by 2032 and that the extent of informal care in future may be lower than previously estimated.

With the budgetary pressures facing local authorities in England, it is important to identify how better value for money could be achieved from current spending on social care. The drive for efficiencies should not be at the detriment of older people with care and support needs and their families and carers. This document provides 10 ideas to make better use of current social care funding while improving quality of care and experiences for older people and their carers.

Background: providing support to a family member with dementia often comes at a cost to the quality of life (QoL) of the carer (caregiver), giving rise to current and future unmet needs for health and social care and support themselves. These have important implications for costeffective health and social care support services and pathways.

Facts about carers 2015 is a Carers UK digest and analysis of all the major research and statistics about carers in the UK.

This briefing covers:

• Who are carers?
• How many people are carers?
• Number of hours of care provided
• Valuing carers
• Carer demographics
• What kind of care do carers provide?
• Who do they care for?
• The impact of caring