Morag C Farquhar , 2025-05-12 10:26:00
Higginson and Ramjeeawon’s commentary rightly raises concerns about the likely outcomes of current debates and challenges of palliative and end-of-life care provision in the UK.1 A key, but rarely acknowledged or supported, element of that provision is unpaid care by family or friends, who provide the majority of support to those with palliative and end-of-life care needs at home. These carers often experience negative effects on their own health and wellbeing that also threaten their ability to continue caring, potentially increasing health service use for both the person they support and for themselves. There are multiple reasons for these negative effects on carers, including limits on their ability to gain or access support for both their caring role and their own health and wellbeing.We need to radically reframe our thinking around unpaid carers. We need to think of unpaid carers as marginalised patients and as part of the workforce. Better…
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Palliative care commission: recognising and supporting unpaid carers
