The role of the Macmillan carer in a new community care service

Abstract

Care in the community has become a central feature of government policy for health and social care in the, 1990s. Reflecting this there is now widespread interest in the provision of palliative care services in community and domiciliary settings. In, 1995 Macmillan Cancer Relief embarked on a programme of development projects concerned to provide support in the home to patients who have palliative care needs, together with their informal carers. The key workers in the schemes are specially trained health care assistants, known as Macmillan Carers. An evaluation of the English schemes has been conducted and this paper draws on one distinct element of the study. Based on interviews with 37 Macmillan Carers, the paper highlights a number of key issues: first, the role of the qualified and unqualified nurse; second, the implications of the health and social care divide for this type of service; third, wider concepts of formal and informal care

The role of healthcare support workers in providing palliative and end-of-life care in the community: a systematic literature review

“…The papers by Clark et al. (2000) and Ferguson et al. (1998) report about different parts of the same study.…”

“…(1998) illustrate that 21% of all tasks undertaken by HCSWs fall into that domain. Personal care tasks included stoma, catheter, mouth and pressure sore care, assisting people to go to the toilet, bathing and dressing (Ferguson et al. 1998).…”

“…The similarity of the role to that of informal carers appears to make HCSWs more approachable to patients. Yet, their similarity to a qualified nurse in the eyes of the patient/family can raise unrealistic expectations (Ferguson et al. 1998).…”

“…2006). Other distressing concerns encompassed quick deterioration of patients, difficult deaths, family issues and not knowing whether someone they have cared for has died or not (Ferguson et al. 1998).…”

The provision of emotional labour by health care assistants caring for dying cancer patients in the community: A qualitative study into the experiences of health care assistants and bereaved family carers

“…Originally defined by Hochschild (1983) as 'the management of feeling to create a publicly observable facial and bodily display,' (Hochschild, 1983, p.7) the concept of emotional labour has been applied to nursing (Bartram et al 2012;Gray 2009;Hayward & Tuckey 2011;James 1992;Schell & Kayser-Jones 2007;Skilbeck & Payne 2003;Smith 1992;Yang & Chang 2008) in general, and more specifically to HCAs involved in community palliative care work (Munday 2007;Ferguson et al 1998). Emotional labour involves consciously working to present emotions that enable a person's job to be performed effectively, and sometimes requires a person to suppress their inner emotions in order to do this.…”