The need for respite care to be made available to informal carers of the elderly mentally ill is now well accepted. Tracey Sharp reports on the progress of one pilot scheme in Sunderland at the end of its first year

In the majority of cases, caring for elderly people is carried out informally, usually by the nearest female relative. (Goodman 1986) This inevitably places carers under stress and leaves them physically and emotionally drained. (Jackson et al 1986). One attempt to ease this situation is the use of respite care. This has become increasingly widespread either by the provision of hospital beds or by the development of purpose built units. (Devlin 1986).