• communication
• family management
• home care

While family carers provide vital practical, social and emotional support,1 caring for a dying person in their own home has distinct issues and constraints, not the least the lack of guidance on the caring role and the negative impacts on the physical, emotional and social health of the carer.2 Support of carers is included in the Australian National Palliative Care Standards.3

The Carer Needs Support Tool (CSNAT), a validated and internationally recognised tool, was developed to help carers focus on their own needs, aside from the caring role.4 It is not a ‘form’ or ‘tick-list’; 14 broad domains enable carers to identify areas of support they require. The CSNAT can be incorporated into an assessment process, facilitated by the practitioner, but carer-led.4 It has traditionally been used in unidisciplinary case management, whereby a nurse or social worker manages the whole process. They introduce it during a visit, and encourage the carer to respond to the questions; a care plan is developed and reviewed at subsequent visits. Current literature assumes that continuity is ensured by one clinician across the whole process. It is unclear whether the CSNAT could …