The availability of informal care will remain a key factor influencing future demand for formal services and the analysis cannot be dissociated from formal care. Based on the ‘unpaid care work–paid work–paid care work circle’, proposed by the International Labour Office, this paper focuses on the individual, interpersonal and organisational determinants that most influence quality care. This paper is based on 40 semi-structured interviews with care workers, in 16 Portuguese care homes, in one council in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. In spite of social change processes in the care worker profession in Portuguese nursing homes, in the last decade, in terms of numbers, age and education, the interviews allowed me to unveil qualitatively what the numbers hid: precarious working conditions, insufficient staffing, excessive workloads and long working hours, high rotation and insufficient skills. All these determinants have consequences not only on the quality of the care that these care workers can offer, but also on their physical and mental health, job satisfaction and work environment. The high demand of care needs due to the ageing of the population, calls for continued efforts in improving working conditions, and a national strategy to promote recruitment of a diverse, younger and more-qualified workforce. The professionalisation of care work must be integrated with migration and employment policies (improvement of job quality and working conditions).

非正规护理的可用性将仍然是影响未来对正规服务需求的关键因素，并且不能将分析与正规护理区分开。基于国际劳工局提出的“无偿照料工作－有偿工作－有偿照料工作圈”，本文着重于对质量护理影响最大的个人，人际关系和组织决定因素。本文基于在里斯本大都会地区一个理事会中对16个葡萄牙养老院中的40名护理人员进行的半结构化访谈。尽管葡萄牙养老院的护理人员行业经历了社会变革过程，但在过去十年中，就人数，年龄和受教育程度而言，访谈还是让我定性地揭示了这些数字所隐藏的内容：不稳定的工作条件，人员不足，工作量过多，工作时间长，轮换率高和技能不足。所有这些决定因素不仅影响这些护理人员可以提供的护理质量，而且还影响他们的身心健康，工作满意度和工作环境。由于人口的老龄化，对护理的需求很高，要求继续努力改善工作条件，并制定了一项国家战略，以促进招聘多样化，年轻化和合格的劳动力。护理工作的专业化必须与移民和就业政策（改善工作质量和工作条件）相结合。工作满意度和工作环境。由于人口的老龄化，对护理的需求很高，要求继续努力改善工作条件，并制定了一项国家战略，以促进招聘多样化，年轻化和合格的劳动力。护理工作的专业化必须与移民和就业政策（改善工作质量和工作条件）相结合。工作满意度和工作环境。由于人口的老龄化，对护理的需求很高，要求继续努力改善工作条件，并制定了一项国家战略，以促进招聘多样化，年轻化和合格的劳动力。护理工作的专业化必须与移民和就业政策（改善工作质量和工作条件）相结合。