Meta review of international evidence on interventions to support carers

Given the increasingly valuable and essential role that carers play in society, it is timely to undertake a comprehensive review of the research literature on interventions for carers. The present overview of the evidence base relating to the outcomes and cost-effectiveness of support was intended to inform thinking by the Department of Health and the Standing Commission on Carers about how best to improve outcomes for carers, as well as identifying future research areas. We must emphasise here that this review is of interventions developed specifically to support carers. We were not asked to and did not review studies that examine how generic services, such as home care, act to support carers even when they are ‘for’ the person being supported by the carer. As we know from other research, these services can be crucial in maintaining carers’ physical and psychological well-being.