This site is intended for Healthcare Professionals only

Four in 10 cancer carers receive no training

Latest bookmark icon off

Four in 10 cancer carers receive no training

More than four in 10 cancer carers who carry out healthcare tasks do so without any training from health or social care professionals, according to new research commissioned by Macmillan Cancer Support.

The YouGov survey looked at over 2,000 cancer carers in the UK. Some 18 per cent provided medical assistance such as giving medication, infection control and changing dressings. Of these, 45 per cent had not received support or training about how to do these tasks from health and social care professionals, while 17 per cent said the person they look after has ended up in hospital because of their lack of information or training.

When carers did receive training, they reported spending an average of only 20 minutes with these professionals and for a third, training was for 10 minutes or less.

Juliet Bouverie, director of services and influencing at Macmillan Cancer Support said: “Without support cancer carers can accidently put their loved one’s health at risk. We would never expect nurses or other professionals to do these tasks without training so why are we leaving friends and family in this vulnerable situation?”

She added: “The Care Act came in to force in April and now local authorities and organisations across the NHS must urgently work together to put it into practice. Health professionals often don’t know how to identify and support carers so these organisations need to ensure staff have the right information and resources to be able to do so. Macmillan has already developed practical guidance for healthcare professionals on how to identify and support cancer carers which we urge organisations to adopt and implement.”

Read more about supporting carers, including Macmillan’s practical tips for health and social care professionals, here.

Copy Link copy link button

Latest

Share: