Review

This is the report of a project commissioned by NHS England in support of its Commitment to Carers programme. The focus of the work was to scope exemplar models of support for older carers, and carers of people with dementia (of any age). The project reviewed existing literature and knowledge and used this as the foundation for examining developments with invited third sector organisations using an on-line questionnaire and additional semi-structured interviews.

Aim: We aimed to systematically review the evidence of the effectiveness of family interventions for caregivers of people with recent‐onset psychosis compared with usual psychiatric care. A secondary objective was to directly compare the effects of different types of family interventions. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CINAHL Complete and EBSCOhost were searched to identify relevant randomized controlled trials.

This report seeks to highlight the perspectives of family carers within the development of a national strategy for people with learning disabilities. The report represents a synthesis of a broad range of views, collected through consultation workshops, correspondence, conversations with family carers, and a review of the relevant  literature. 

Background: Those who become active caregivers out of their simple need to be included in their loved ones' experience may act as a force in the support and sustenance of the person with cancer. Apart from family members, individuals "considered as family" by the patient may actively participate in the patient's cancer journey.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is the most common form of motor neuron disease in adults. People with ALS become severely disabled when the disease is progressing. The confrontation with constant losses, with dying and death poses enormous challenges both for them and for informal carers, who are most often spouses or close family members. However, there is evidence that the quality of life of ALS patients is often quite high and not correlated with the physical status. What does this mean for the quality of life of the caregivers?

Objective: to investigate variations in the use of specialist palliative care (SPC) services for adult cancer patients, in relation to age.

Design: systematic review of studies examining use of or referral to SPC services in adult cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Informal care currently lies at the heart of the debate on welfare policies since demands for such care are increasing and the future availability of informal caregivers is uncertain.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the distribution of the burden of informal care between men and women and its consequences on health and quality of life.

This paper explores the effectiveness of paid services in supporting unpaid carers’ employment in England. There is currently a new emphasis in England on ‘replacement care’, or paid services for the cared-for person, as a means of supporting working carers. The international evidence on the effectiveness of paid services as a means of supporting carers’ employment is inconclusive and does not relate specifically to England. The study reported here explores this issue using the 2009/10 Personal Social Services Survey of Adult Carers in England.

Background: Care from the family physician is generally interrupted when patients with cancer come under the care of second-line and third-line healthcare professionals who may also manage the patient’s comorbid conditions. This situation may lead to fragmented and uncoordinated care, and results in an increased likelihood of not receiving recommended preventive services or recommended care.

Objectives: To classify, describe and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions aiming to improve continuity of cancer care on patient, healthcare provider and process outcomes.