English

The approaching financial challenges within health and social care are well heralded and will inevitably cause strain in the care system. It is likely that in the name of efficiency there will be reductions in hospital in-patient stays and a reluctance by local authorities to extend their provision for those with significant care needs. Indeed, the context is being set for further exploitation of carers in the coming years.

Adults with severe and enduring mental health problems are amongst the most marginalised and vulnerable people in our society. In providing care for these individuals, mental health professionals may potentially overlook the fact that many of these people are also parents: • There are an estimated 50,000 – 200,000 young people in the UK caring for a parent with mental health problems. • Many of these young people will provide help and support for a parent. • Some of these young people will be providing care beyond a level that is appropriate for their age. They will be ‘young carers’.

Suggests that language barriers may prevent Bangladeshi informal carers from accessing statutory services in South Wales. Suggestion that informal carers in Bangladeshi communities see their role as an "honor and a privilege," but have limited access to statutory services, often because of language problems; Health and social needs of people caring for dependent adults within a Bangladeshi community.

Up to £6 million will be made available over the next four years to help GPs identify carers earlier, Care Services Minister Paul Burstow announced in November.

Speaking at the Carers UK Summit, Mr Burstow outlined a series of measures to further support carers as he launched ‘Recognised, valued and supported: Next Steps for the Carers Strategy.’

This article describes a nurse led service operating on three adult acute psychiatric wards in a hospital in South London. On each ward a member of the regular nursing staff spends one day meeting with families and carers. A case is made for the need for such a service, and its aims are described. An example of a series of meetings with the relatives of one patient is given, illustrating the benefits of this type of service.

BACKGROUND: There are few published health technology assessments that have included the impact of a disease or treatment on caregivers' health related quality of life (HRQL). The objectives of this study were to explore the overall HRQL of caregivers of people with multiple sclerosis compared to matched controls, and more specifically explore the impact of different levels of functioning in people with MS on caregivers' HRQL scores. METHODS: A cross sectional observational study conducted as an online survey was undertaken in the UK.

Objective: Prevailing measures of subjective caregiver burden either have no overall summary score or do not consider the relative importance caregivers attach to different dimensions of burden. Our aim was to assess which dimensions informal caregivers perceive as being important to their overall burden from care giving.

Design: Cross-sectional.

The Carers Strategies in England and Wales herald opportunities to develop new ways to support carers. This paper reports findings from a five-year study looking at the Carers Strategy in Wales. It presents interview data arising from fieldwork with carers and statutory and voluntary sector staff. Our findings highlight a gap between the positive perceptions of staff concerning improvements in the availability and types of support to carers and carers' everyday experiences.

This article is part one of a three-part series designed to help nurses help caregivers.