We want to make our services accessible to everyone who is eligible to use them and wants to participate in screening. We know from research that barriers exist that can limit participation in screening programmes and for National Carers Week we’re highlighting our work with Care Alliance Ireland, to understand barriers for carers.
Zoe Hughes from Care Alliance Ireland explains how the collaboration with us came about. “When the topic of screening services arose we knew we needed to address it on behalf of carers across the country, and in particular those in our 5,000-strong online support group and those getting supports from our 100 member organisations.
“Ireland’s 500,000 family carers will at some point be responsible for making sure those they care for can access the right screening services. But on top of that responsibility, they also need to access screening services for themselves to look after their own health.”
Our Senior Health Promotion Officer, Lynn Swinburne, welcomed the opportunity to work with Care Alliance Ireland. “I have been trying to understand the impact of caring as I listened to and read about their daily living. I am struck by the relentlessness of their role, often without many supports, and the impact that has on the carer and their own quality of life. I see their unique barriers to accessing services and the nuances that must be understood.
“Carers have very little time for themselves and I wonder in that time where the priority lies for them. Is self-care and maintaining their own health on the list?”
Research shows that family carers, in particular those with long-term care responsibilities, don’t prioritise their own health needs, leading to significant mental and physical health difficulties.
“Finding ways to work around some of the challenges faced by family carers is really important”, Zoe explains. “Travel and taking time off work can be challenging for carers. Family carers who are supporting and caring for someone with a disability, long-term health condition or who is ageing, may not be able to find alternative care arrangements to attend screening appointments, and may have no choice but to bring the person they care for with them. Service providers need to be empathetic to these situations and understand the diverse needs of carers.”
Lynn says that working with Care Alliance Ireland has helped her understand the needs of this community better. “This has informed the development of our strategic framework to improve equity in screening. Enabling carers to access screening requires an open and responsive service that is understanding, welcoming, flexible and solution-focused to ensure the needs of carers are met. We need to create awareness of the barriers and identify supports that we can offer across our screening programmes.”
Get more information about our four population-based screening programmes:
If you are a carer looking to access screening services for yourself or someone you care for you can freephone our call centre on 1800 45 45 55 or email our screening programme access officers:
- BowelScreen: access@bowelscreen.ie
- BreastCheck: access@breastcheck.ie
- CervicalCheck: info@cervicalcheck.ie
- Diabetic RetinaScreen: access@diabeticretinascreen.ie
(updated 07 June 2024)