Associations, institutions, etc.

There are more than 1 million people in the UK looking after a family member or friend with cancer, but half the number of these carers do not receive support to care. Providing this care significantly affects cancer carers emotionally, physically, and financially. Community and district nurses have a vital role to play in reaching out to these hidden carers and signposting them to the correct support. This article provides tips on identifying carers, including who they are, the challenges they face, and how health professionals can approach and speak to them.

The author emphasizes the need for cooperation between disabled people's organisations and carers' groups to push for more social care in Great Britain. According to the author, the debate about carers is enjoying its highest political profile in years but the voice of disabled people is seldom heard in it. She contends that the growing number of informal carers is evidence of what happens when an expansion in the numbers requiring support meets fast-retreating public services. She points out that it is hard to believe that politicians listen to carers.