Harris, J

Background to the Project The Department of Health commissioned a brief scoping study be carried out in order amass evidence concerning people with long term conditions’ use of health and social care services. This report covers a related study that examined literature containing evidence on informal carer’s experiences of providing care to people within the target groups.

The aims of the study were to summarise available research evidence, to identify key gaps in existing knowledge and to identify priorities for further research in the area of services to support carers. The literature review examined and summarised evidence from published and unpublished literature (both UK and international) between 1985 and 2001 about effective and cost-effective services to support carers.