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Wessex Cancer Academy

Lifestyle and Behaviour

Learn about the links between lifestyle and cancer risk and how you can support people with changing their behaviour before during and after a cancer diagnosis.

The training within this section could help you to meet knowledge gaps within the following ACCEND capabilities. Visit the ACCEND page to download the framework for your role.

  • Domain A, capability 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8
  • Domain B, capability 12
  • Domain C, capability 14, 15, 16 and 17
  • Domain F, capability 23

Alcohol and Cancer

Training includes:
– The evidence on alcohol and cancer risk
– How alcohol increases cancer risk
– WCRF’s recommendation to avoid alcohol

Alcohol and Tobacco Brief Interventions

Understand why you should use brief interventions to identify and influence smoking and alcohol use in hospital patients. Introduction to Very Brief Advice on Smoking and Alcohol Brief Advice.

  • Target Audience:  Secondary Care
  • Level: Introductory
  • Type of Learning: E-learning
  • Provider: E-Learning for Health
  • Time to Complete: 1 hour (4 x 15 minute modules)
  • Link: Alcohol and Tobacco Brief Interventions

Very Brief Advice – Smoking Cessation

This short film demonstrates how simple brief interventions to change smoking behaviour can be. It powerfully demonstrates the capacity and effectiveness of Very Brief Advice on Smoking (VBA+) to change lives.

  • Target Audience:  All
  • Level: Introductory
  • Type of Learning: Film
  • Provider: Health Education England
  • Time to Complete: 4 minutes
  • Link: NCSCT e-learning

Healthy Weight Coach Programme

A healthy weight coach will engage and support people living with overweight or obesity to help them make positive changes to their health and health behaviours to promote a healthier weight. They will be well-placed to signpost or, where appropriate, refer people to weight management services. On completion of the e-learning programme, you will have the skills and confidence to have meaningful conversations to support people to move towards a healthier weight.

Eating Well during Cancer

Training includes:
– The role food and nutrition play during cancer and cancer treatments
– The common side effects of cancer and cancer treatment and how to adapt diet to help people to cope with these

Advising and supporting People with Cancer with Nutrition

Social Prescribers, Health & Wellbeing Coaches, Care Co-ordinators, exercise instructors and rehab assistants

Enhanced Acute Oncology – Nutrition

This learning module will explore the nutritional needs of people living with cancer in the context of acute oncology. Nutritional care in the acute oncology setting can differ from nutritional considerations during other stages in the cancer pathway.

The Importance of Nutrition in Patients with Cancer

This webinar addresses the pressing challenges that Oncology Nurses face in the realm of nutrition management for patients with cancer.

Guest speakers Mhairi Donald and Ali Hodge from University Hospitals Sussex delve into real-life case studies, sharing their knowledge and experience to empower nurses in assessing and effectively managing patients’ nutritional needs.

Breast Cancer risk and inequalities

For professionals working in food, nutrition and health. Training includes:
– How diet, nutrition, body fat levels and physical activity impact the risk of breast cancer
– The science underpinning the research on lifestyle and breast cancer

Eating Well After Cancer

Training includes:
– The benefits of a healthy diet after cancer
– How to return to a ‘normal’ diet after cancer
– How a healthy diet can reduce the risk of other diseases after cancer

  • Target Audience:  Professionals working in food, nutrition and health
  • Type of Learning: Recorded webinar
  • Provider: World Cancer Research Fund
  • Time to Complete: 1 hour
  • Link: Eating Well After Cancer • MyNutriWeb

Physical Activities and Health

A series of e-learning modules preparing healthcare professionals to champion the benefits of physical activity with their patients and, in doing so, help prevent and manage a range of common physical and mental health conditions.

Cancer Conditions Being Active

This session discusses the positive impact of physical activity on people living with cancer. Stand alone module which can be completed with other ‘Physical Activity and Health’ modules as required.

The health benefits of physical activity: Cancer

This module covers the importance and effectiveness of physical exercise as a preventer of cancer, as well as being an essential part of its treatment. Plus how to recommend it to patients with cancer. With multimedia video.

How does physical activity produce health benefits?

With multimedia video, learn how physical activity that can both prevent and treat major diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health problems, cancer, and arthritis.

Advising and Supporting People with Cancer with Physical Activity and exercise

Social Prescribers, Health & Wellbeing Coaches, Care Co-ordinators, exercise instructors and rehab assistants.

MECC: Making Every Contact Count e- learning

The MECC e-learning programme is designed to support learners in developing an understanding of public health and the factors that impact on a person’s health and wellbeing. It focuses on how asking questions and listening effectively to people is a vital role for us all. A MECC interaction takes a matter of minutes and is not intended to add to existing busy workloads, rather it is structured to fit into and complement existing engagement approaches.

MECC: Making Every Contact Count (all options)

Making Every Contact Count (MECC) enables the delivery of consistent and concise health and wellbeing information and encourages individuals to engage in conversations about their health at scale across organisations and populations. MECC is intended for anyone who has contact with people. It focuses on how asking questions and listening effectively to people is a vital role for us all. A MECC interaction takes a matter of minutes and is not intended to add to existing busy workloads
The e-learning package is free and easily accessed Classroom sessions will vary by area, talk to your manager and check the website. You can also register your interest with the Alliance.

Train the trainer options may also be available so you can deliver MECC within your workplace.

Behaviour Change Literacy for Individuals and Workforce Leaders

This training aims to build foundational behaviour change skills of the workforce. It will introduce learners to behaviour change, what it is, why it is important and how it can be implemented. This e-learning will explore the role of behaviour change in promoting positive health behaviours and identify the skills and techniques that can be used to create an environment in which behaviour change will flourish.

Behaviour Change and Cancer Prevention

This module is aimed at healthcare professionals who would like to promote behaviour change in their patients to reduce their cancer risk. The module will highlight the links between cancer and smoking, obesity and alcohol and describe the evidence for Very Brief Advice (VBA) on behaviour change.

RCGP logon or membership required

Healthcare Professionals – Supporting People to Move More
Moving Healthcare Professionals is a national programme, led by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and Sport England, to support healthcare professionals to increase their knowledge and skills, and incorporate physical activity within routine care

Moving Medicine
The ultimate resource to help healthcare professionals integrate physical activity conversations into routine clinical care

Better Health
Healthy changes start with little changes. Whether you want to lose weight, get active or quit smoking, Better Health is here with lots of free tools and support

Behaviour Change Development Framework
This framework and toolkit will help you identify what behaviour change training you or your workforce need to support people to make positive changes in their lives

You may also like to explore the Prevention section and the World Cancer Research Fund Webinars.

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