New Deal for Carers or unfair deal: what is in it for informal carers of stroke survivors?

Proposals for the New Deal for Carers, launched in 2007, include improved access to information via a helpline and carer training. Using informal (unpaid, usually family) stroke carers as an example, we examine research evidence for whether these carers might benefit from the proposals. We argue that too little attention is being paid to the available research and despite some generic carer problems, carer diversity means this poorly targeted input is likely to have little impact. Despite the fact that informal carers save the UK economy enormous sums of money, the budget for the proposals is woefully inadequate. Money might be better spent on increasing uptake of benefits and facilitating primary care to increase support.