Informal caregivers are widely recognised as part of
the ’unit of care’ in palliative care, yet this recognition
has rarely been translated into clearly specified ethical
obligations. The present paper argues that informal
caregivers are not merely instrumentally relevant
to patient-centred care but are independent moral
stakeholders whose vulnerability grounds direct
obligations of support. The analysis demonstrates that
ethical obligations towards caregivers cannot be justified
solely by reference to patient welfare. While many such
duties are best understood as prima facie obligations,
some reach the level of threshold obligations where
caregivers’ fundamental interests—such as autonomy,
integrity or protection from serious harm—are at
stake. The paper argues that the provision of support
to informal caregivers should not be regarded as a
discretionary component of good palliative care but a
threshold requirement of ethically grounded palliative
practice, with implications for clinical decision-making
and institutional responsibility.