Service delivery

Introduction: Around 60% of carers of relatives with mental health problems report feeling unrecognised by professional health care and many report a lack of engagement, shared decision making and information sharing.

Purpose: To explore the views of people with motor neurone disease (MND) on the barriers, facilitators and potential benefits of using home-based e-Health service delivery (telehealth) to access MND multidisciplinary clinic care. Methods: Twelve patients from three MND multidisciplinary clinics and an MND support association group completed a survey of information technology (IT) use and participated in interviews, to gather participants' experiences and perceptions of home-based telehealth for MND clinic care.

This paper outlines two challenges to community nurses as they work with unpaid carers. These reflect a changing culture in the way that healthcare will be delivered in the coming decade. The first of these challenges is a shift towards focusing on outcomes for both service users and adult carers. Outcomes evidence the impact a service has on a person's life. The second is the increasing focus on the concept of carers as partners in care. 

Research has been undertaken to look at how well social care and health organisations involve adult carers in service planning and delivery. This article concludes that while some carers are involved at a strategic level, carers are most dissatisfied about their involvement in individual assessment processes and outcomes. [Abstract]

This document has been written to act as a resource for all those involved in developing or providing online services for carers and their families. Many organisations and local authorities are currently exploring how the internet can be used to reach more carers and to provide services more effectively. This guide offers advice and direction on the creation and expansion of websites and other online services for carers, based on the experiences of providers and the views of carers themselves.

Data on both the provision and receipt of informal care among populations of older adults are limited. Patterns of both informal care provided and received by older adults in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) and Northern Ireland (NI) were evaluated. A cross-sectional community-based population survey was conducted. Randomly selected older people (aged 65+, n = 2033, mean age (standard deviation): 74.1 years (6.8), 43% men, 68% response rate) provided information on the provision and receipt of care, its location, and the person(s) who provided the care.