Maintaining sick and elderly people at home, particularly as they approach
the end of life, is a long-established challenge for health and social care
services. Over the past 30 years palliative care providers have attempted
a variety of innovations in this area. We report on a descriptive study of
seven pilot Macmillan Carers Schemes in England. The schemes sought to prov
ide practical and emotional help to cancer patients and families living in
their own homes. Data ate available on 624 referrals to the schemes over a
1-year period. Emphasizing comparisons between schemes, we report on reason
s for and sources of referral, services offered, number and duration of vis
its and tasks undertaken. We consider the views of informal carers who made
use of the service, the perceptions of Macmillan carers themselves, and we
compare financial costs of schemes. It is concluded that the schemes have
the potential for further development but face problems, which reflect on t
heir borderline position between 'health' and 'social care'. Current policy
changes may be beneficial to the schemes in this respect.