ABSTRACT
Families play an important part in determining lifestyle; informal carers provide valuable support for vulnerable kin; voluntary organizations make an important contribution; and the commercial sector plays a part in the provision, funding and supply of health care. This chapter seeks to outline these roles and to explore some of the key issues, such as the State's reliance on informal carers and voluntary organizations, the implications of the informal caring relationship for both the carers and those for whom they care; and the debate to which the recent renaissance of the voluntary and commercial sectors has given rise. The origins of many publicly-funded health services lie in the nineteenth century in the pioneering work of volunteers and voluntary organizations, most notably, health visiting; community nursing; milk banks and infant welfare clinics; hospitals; the blood transfusion service; occupational therapy; family planning; and family planning and maternity services for unmarried people.
