Survey results

This report contains the findings of research conducted among people in the UK who care for someone with cancer by providing them with informal unpaid help and support. Ipsos MORI conducted this research on behalf of Macmillan Cancer Support who wanted to determine the number and profile of people caring for someone with cancer in the UK. The organisation also wanted to understand the impact of caring on their lives, including the need for support. 

Carers have a pressing need to be directed to good sources of information, help and support. NHS organisations appear to be consulting with carers much less than the level envisaged in the National Strategy for Carers. There is still too much poor or indifferent consultation practice and service providers appear not to be following known good practice guidelines. Over eight out of ten carers said that caring had a negative impact on their own health. Almost nine out of ten reported that they feel stress, anxiety, depression or loss of sleep, due to being a carer.

We analyse the impact of the provision of care on the health and quality of life (QoL) of adult female informal caregivers using a representative sample drawn from the survey of health, ageing and retirement in Europe (SHARE). We match each informal caregiver with a non-carer using propensity score matching and test whether matched individuals differ on self-assessed health and a functional indicator of QoL and whether this relationship differs across European regions.

Carers play an ambiguous role within the personalisation paradigm currently shaping adult social care practice in England. Although carers have rights to assessments and support in their own right, these rights sit uneasily alongside the practices of assessment, support planning and personal budget (PB) allocation for older and disabled people. This paper reports how 14 dyads of older and learning disabled people with cognitive and/or communication impairments and their carers viewed the roles - desired and actual - played by carers in PBs.

There are an estimated 6.4 million people in the UK1 currently caring for a child, friend, neighbour, partner or parent or a combination of these. Carers look after family and friends who are disabled, frail or ill. They work alongside professionals, volunteers, care homes, special schools and community groups often caring for people in their own home. The hours of care that they provide for ill, frail or disabled people often comes at a cost to their own health and well-being. The impact on a carers’ health and well-being, finances and relationships cannot be underestimated.

AIM: To evaluate service users' and carers' views on the early intervention in psychosis service in relation to best-practice guidelines. METHOD: Both groups were sent a questionnaire on their experiences of care provided. RESULTS: The majority responded positively to many items, indicating they thought the team met best-practice guidance.

Findings from a survey in 2000 ['Carers 2000', Joanne Maher and Hazel Green] and the 2001 census have revealed the extent of unpaid caring for family members and friends and the effects on the carers. 

The aim of the present paper was to examine some views and experiences of dementia among older South Asian people, as well as their families and carers, and to explore central issues of service support. Data were collected in Scotland through interviews with 11 professionals working with South Asian people with dementia, and four case studies of South Asian people with a diagnosis of dementia, as well as their families and carers.

This briefing presents the findings of a survey that sought to find out more about how different local authorities collect and use information about their local carer populations: the range of information sources they use to form an evidence base on carers; how they use evidence to understand local need; and how evidence influences their planning and delivery of local carer support.

The Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 came into force on 1 April 1996. It entitles carers who are providing substantial amounts of care on a regular basis to an assessment of their needs and ability to care. Local authorities are required to take the results of this assessment into account when making decisions about services. This paper reports the key findings of a two-year study, conducted in Wales, that evaluated the process and outcomes of assessments carried out under the auspices of the Carers Act.