Understanding the outcomes of specialist nursing : findings from a qualitative study

Unpaid carers are arguably the most valuable resource we have in dementia care, yet caring can have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of the caregiver and not enough is known about how best to support carers of people with dementia . We report here the qualitative findings of a study of support for carers of people with dementia which took Admiral Nursing (the only specialist nursing dementia service in the UK with a specific focus on carers) as an exemplar. The choice of outcome measures in previous research on interventions for carers has sometimes been poorly aligned to the priorities of carers or the aims of the services evaluated. We therefore interviewed and conducted focus groups with 35 carers of people with dementia to ascertain from their perspectives which outcomes might be influenced by services like Admiral Nursing. Three key outcome areas were identified by carers that appear to be influenced by Admiral Nursing: confidence in caring; carer quality of life; and carer physical and mental health. We selected and tested measurement tools aligned to these outcomes in a national survey of carers.