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Biomedical subjects

C Glendinning

Publications and source records attributed to C Glendinning.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

Technology-dependent children in the community: definitions, numbers and costs.

OBJECTIVES: To assess available data on the numbers of technology-dependent children living at home in the UK and estimate the costs of caring for them. DESIGN: Data were obtained from all known secondary sources, including surveys of children with specific conditions known to specialist paediatric departments and the database of applicants to the Family Fund Trust. The costs of all services received by three hypothetical exemplar 'case study' children were calculated. RESULTS: All existing sources of data have some shortcomings. Taking these shortcomings into account, it is estimated that there may be up to 6000 technology-dependent children living at home. They appear to be disproportionately young and may be distributed unevenly between different regions of the UK. The total service costs of caring for each child will vary according to the types of technologies involved and local patterns of services, but may be as high as 150,000 pounds sterling a year. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the very high costs of services, routine information on the numbers of technology-dependent children discharged home is urgently needed. This should include details of the duration of technology dependence and the local area to which the child is discharged. New opportunities for joint service planning and purchasing should improve the co-ordination of services for these children.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Trends in community care and patient participation: implications for the roles of informal carers and community nurses in the United Kingdom.

This paper argues that the interfaces between formal and informal care-giving are changing as a result of two current trends; the increased scope of home-based nursing care and the emphasis on participation both within nursing and in the wider health and social care arenas. These various changes are explored in relation to the provision of intensive and complex nursing care in the home. It will be argued that the changing interfaces between formal and informal care have important implications for the respective roles of nurses and informal carers which hitherto have been relatively overlooked. These implications urgently need addressing in research, policy and public debate if professional nurses are to provide appropriate help and support to informal carers.

Caregivers↗
PubMed1994

Annual assessments of patients aged 75 years and over: views and experiences of elderly people.

BACKGROUND: The 1990 contract requires general practitioners to offer all their patients aged 75 years and over an annual health check. Increasing importance is being placed on consumers' views of service provision. AIM: A study was undertaken in June 1992 to investigate elderly patients' views and experiences of the annual health check, and to compare these with the previously reported views of general practitioners and practice nurses who had also been surveyed as part of the study. METHOD: Twenty family health services authorities wrote to a sample of 1500 elderly patients asking if the patient's name could be passed to researchers. Patients who agreed were then interviewed. RESULTS: A total of 664 elderly patients (44%) were interviewed. Only 64% of respondents were aware of their entitlement to a health check. Vulnerable patients, such as those in poor health or who lived alone, were less likely to know about the health checks than other patients. Only 31% of respondents thought they had had a health check. Of these, fewer than half recalled the doctor or nurse discussing the findings with them, although 80% of doctors reported that they always or mostly discussed results with patients. Elderly patients were more likely to recall the physical aspects of the health check rather than discussion about particular health aspects. However, doctors and nurses felt that routine checks were useful for giving advice rather than detecting medical problems. Of those who had had a health check, 82% reported no improvement in their health as a result, but 93% thought that they were a good idea. Only 7% of doctors thought they were of value, compared with the majority of nurses. CONCLUSION: It appeared that the inverse care law was operating, with those more in need of the service being less likely to have known about it. Discrepancies were found between general practitioners' and practice nurses' reports of service provision and those of elderly patients. Evidence about the cost-effectiveness of regular health checks may help the conflict between professional scepticism and consumer enthusiasm for these assessments.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Dependency and interdependency: the incomes of informal carers and the impact of social security.

Consideration of the income and social security needs of informal carers has remained conspicuously absent from discussions about 'community care'. Similarly, carers have been more or less invisible in the development of social security policies. This paper reports on a study of the financial circumstances of a sample of working age carers, who were living with and providing substantial amounts of help and support to a disabled person in the same household. The study highlights first, the substantial work-related costs incurred by carers with full time employment; and second the financial dependency of carers without full time earnings, on their spouse, sibling or on the person being cared for. The implications of these findings are discussed in the light of recent developments in social security policies.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Voluntary organizations for handicapped children and their families: the meaning of membership.

Two surveys of families caring for very severely disabled children at home reveal that about half the families belong to a voluntary organization. Membership varies by disease, social class, income, family composition and locality. Over half the non-members would like to belong to such organizations and practical obstacles are the most common reason for not belonging. The principal benefits derived by members are the opportunities to share problems and exchange information and advice. In general such bodies hava a role that is different from and complementary to statutory services.

Age Factors↗