Understanding the Needs and Barriers Experienced by Unpaid Carers of Veterans in England

Greenhow, S ORCID: 0000-0002-1784-5347 and Tickle, S ORCID: 0000-0002-6633-9926 (2026) Understanding the Needs and Barriers Experienced by Unpaid Carers of Veterans in England. Health and Social Care in the Community, 2026 (1). ISSN 0966-0410

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Abstract

This paper presents findings from an external evaluation of two projects from a wider national program funded by NHSE/I that sought to understand the needs of unpaid carers in vulnerable communities in order to reduce health inequalities. The two projects focused on in this paper included unpaid carers of veterans in England. Previous research has highlighted specific barriers for this community. However, there has been limited research in this area. This paper reports findings from a qualitative evaluation in which 10 carers who were partners of veterans and 1 carer who cared for a veteran participated. The data presented in this paper uncovered a range of specific needs and barriers experienced by carers, including that members of the veterans community can be reluctant to seek support, caring for the complex needs of individuals in this community, challenges with the transition to “Civvy street,” and a lack of understanding of the healthcare needs of veterans. Carers raised the need for further support and also the need to recognize and value veterans within healthcare and well-being services to a greater extent in future. The findings of this paper are particularly timely given the ongoing impact of the cost-of-living crisis on unpaid carers in this community and others. The social harms experienced as a result of these social conditions, including financial, psychological, and physical harms, will be explored in order to raise awareness of the needs of unpaid carers to overcome barriers to accessing support services.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	1117 Public Health and Health Services; 1607 Social Work; Nursing; 4203 Health services and systems; 4206 Public health; 4409 Social work
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman K Law > KD England and Wales
Divisions:	Law and Justice Studies
Publisher:	Wiley
Date of acceptance:	29 May 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	25 June 2026
Date Deposited:	25 Jun 2026 09:46
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2026 09:46
DOI or ID number:	10.1155/hsc/5387663
Editors:	Bhardwaj, P
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28899

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