In 22/23, Wessex Cancer Alliance (WCA) funded locally designed projects to identify and/or pilot innovative solutions to support meaningful personalised care and support for people with cancer. The projects aimed to support and improve personalised care through methods such as piloting interventions or resources for people with cancer or utilising the workforce in a different way.
Applications were reviewed by a panel from WCA and our patient and public involvement network, and scored against the following criteria:
- Supports the NHS National Ambitions for Cancer 22/23
- Utilising existing resources
- Facilitates a component of personalised care
- Increase in educations, knowledge and/or awareness
- Sustainability after funding period
- Incorporates equality, diversity, and inclusion
- Learning is scalable and/or replicable
Three projects were successful and will be delivered in 23/24.
Addressing inequalities in cancer screening in the transgender population, Winchester Rural and North East PCN
Project Leads: Dr Emily Donovan, GP Partner and Rebecca Hardman, Cancer Care Coordinator
Purpose of the project
This project will develop and deliver a training package for primary care network (PCN) staff, clinical and non-clinical roles focussing on addressing inequalities in cancer screening to better support the transgender population, using a personalised care approach. Members of the transgender population may not be aware they are eligible or require surveillance or have negative and poor experiences of healthcare. The aim of the pilot is to raise awareness and improve understanding of PCN staff to better support members of the transgender community with cancer screening.
How will we measure success?
- Attendees will have the appropriate knowledge, skill and confidence for their role on supporting members of the transgender community with cancer screening.
- Increase in uptake of cancer screening for members of the transgender community
Watch the video below and download the training slides
Head & Neck Oncology CARE clinic pilot, University Hospital Dorset NHS FT
Project Lead: Penny Scott, Lead Speech & Language Therapist, Head & Neck Team
Purpose of the project
A pilot a one-stop head and neck oncology CARE (Cancer and Ageing Resilience) clinic to support the weekly head and neck cancer MDT to provide rapid assessment of patients with a history of frailty, comorbidities which are likely to impact treatment or patients who have developed complications relating to their frailty, in order to optimise medical management.
How will we measure success?
- More effective MDT discussion around frailty and suitability for treatment
- Reduction in complications due to frailty, re-admissions, and hospital length of stay
- Clearer pathway for pre-optimisation for patients undergoing head and neck cancer treatment
- Education of the wider MDT in all aspects of frailty and cancer
PIFU* facilitator train-the-trainer workshop, University Hospital Southampton NHS FT
Project Lead: Claire Marsh, Cancer PIFU Project Lead
Purpose of the project
This project will design and deliver six training days for CNS and PIFU teams in a train-the trainer approach. The training day will cover new skills such as facilitating workshop and incorporate how to navigate patients around a digital system to support the PIFU pathway and empower people with cancer in their self-management.
How will we measure success?
Attendees will have the appropriate knowledge, skill and confidence to facilitate workshops for people with cancer and deliver PIFU training to their teams.
*PIFU – Patient initiated follow up