Recognising and addressing problems in clinical practice and service delivery is an important way for nurses to ensure quality care for patients; however, they need support in developing the skills and knowledge that are essential to successful QI activities.

Background: Carers of patients with palliative care needs require careful assessment and support to undertake their role effectively. The carer component of palliative care is embedded in complex situations that necessarily focus on the patient. Aim: To explore experiences of specialist palliative care nurses (SPCNs) in identifying, assessing and planning care to support carers of patients with palliative care needs. Methods: Qualitative study with two face-to-face group interviews of SPCNs (n = 11) and descriptive content analysis. Findings: Findings articulated gaps in identifying carers and their role, and assessing the carers' needs. Conclusion: This study confirmed the complexity in assessing carers' needs within the palliative care context, existing practice gaps and positive outcomes when routine processes were adopted. Future research should explore how to systematically make improvements in supporting carers in all palliative care contexts including specialist and non-specialist settings.