ABSTRACT
Informal carers are people who have accepted the main responsibility for providing care for someone close to them. Some carers may be required to change dressings or administer drugs. This is an area where the informal carer is generally inexperienced and requires training, equipment and professional advice. Carers are involved in the care plan for the patient. This will involve contacts with different members of the primary healthcare team, together with attendance at hospital outpatient departments. The role of the informal carer is highly idealised by society. Images are evoked of self-sacrifice, infinite patience and understanding. Primary care groups and trusts need to consider how their constituent practices might be more responsive to carers’ needs and become more aware of the help that carers provide. When feelings are expressed by carers, they include resentment, confusion, loss, helplessness, embarrassment and feeling trapped.
