Understanding the experiences of LGBTQ+ unpaid caregivers navigating access to health care services: a qualitative national evaluation.

Tickle, S ORCID: 0000-0002-6633-9926 and Greenhow, S ORCID: 0000-0002-1784-5347 (2026) Understanding the experiences of LGBTQ+ unpaid caregivers navigating access to health care services: a qualitative national evaluation. The British Journal of Social Work. ISSN 0045-3102

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Abstract

Unpaid caregivers across the UK face significant pressures, with those identifying as LGBTQ+ experiencing heightened and distinct challenges. The combined effects of the cost-of-living crisis and the COVID 19 pandemic have intensified concerns about the disproportionate burdens placed on unpaid caregivers. This paper reports findings from an external evaluation of a NHS England and Improvement [NHSE/I] funded project examining the needs and barriers encountered by LGBTQ+ unpaid caregivers. Data were collected through interviews with three unpaid caregivers, two project leads, and 13 stakeholders. Thematic analysis revealed four interrelated themes; Recognition and Belonging; Social Connectivity and the Mitigation of Harm; Structural Inclusion and the Conditions for Culturally Safe Care; and Sustainability, Capacity Building and Transformative Co-production. A theoretically grounded framework of social harm was used for understanding LGBTQ+ unpaid caregivers experiences which demonstrated how structural inequalities compound the physical, financial and emotional pressures associated with caring. LGBTQ+ caregivers experienced a combination of interlocking harms produced not only by the demands of their caregiving role but also by their marginalised sexual and gender identities. This paper has national relevance and international significance for understanding the experiences of LGBTQ+ unpaid caregivers to inform ongoing debates on effective and inclusive practice.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Centre for the Study of Crime Criminalisation and Social Exclusion (CCSE); unpaid caregivers; LGBTQ plus; health; qualitative; evaluation; social harm; 4409 Social Work; 44 Human Society; Behavioral and Social Science; Health Disparities; Caregiving Research; Health Disparities and Racial or Ethnic Minority Health Research; Coronaviruses; Social Determinants of Health; Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM/LGBT*); 8.1 Organisation and delivery of services; Generic health relevance; 1607 Social Work; 1608 Sociology; 1701 Psychology; Social Work; 4409 Social work
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Divisions:	Law and Justice Studies
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Date of acceptance:	24 May 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	2 September 2026
Date Deposited:	02 Sep 2026 13:08
Last Modified:	02 Sep 2026 13:08
DOI or ID number:	10.1093/bjsw/bcag160
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29286

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