What is the PACC project?
Personalised cancer care means providing patients with access to care and support that meets their individual needs – from the moment they receive their cancer diagnosis – so that they can live as full, healthy and active a life as possible. This can include helping people to access financial, emotional, psychological and social support as well as providing them with information on managing their lifestyle, treatments and therapies available.
There currently exists a collection of measurement tools to assist health care professionals in the personalisation of care and support. However, it is suggested that health care professionals’ assessment of patient need for support and capacity to manage remains a largely intuitive process, based on experience. This risks people’s needs for support being missed.
The PACC project will co-produce a systematic approach to identifying those who need more or less support to do well during and beyond their cancer treatment, in order to personalise their care accordingly.
Meet the team
David Wright – project lead
I manage the evaluations programme within the Centre for Psychosocial Research in Cancer (CentRIC+), including the PACC project. I am a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre and my research is focussed on evaluating tools, measures and workforce innovations relating to delivering effective personalised care for people living with and beyond cancer.
Jane Frankland
I am leading the literature review and data analysis elements of the PACC project. I am a Senior Research Fellow, in the Centre for Psychosocial Research in Cancer (CentRIC+), at the University of Southampton. My research is focussed around cancer health and wellbeing, personalised care and implementation of innovation in healthcare settings.
Teresa Corbett
I am leading the interview element of the PACC project. I am a Senior Lecturer at Solent University, Southampton and a visiting research fellow at the University of Southampton. I am a Psychologist and my research interests are focused on health behaviour change, including the development interventions to promote quality of life in those who have completed treatment for cancer.
PACC Champions
Kate Bentley – Lung Cancer CNS, Portsmouth Hospital
I am very excited to be able to take on this opportunity.
Within Portsmouth our patients face many challenges during their Lung Cancer diagnosis and treatment, and I believe that it is important to address these in a way that ensures that we are providing the care and support to meet the priorities and needs of our patients by focussing on what matters to them.
The opportunity to be part of a process to develop and trial a way of working which addresses this was something that I was keen to participate in.
I am very fortunate to have a team who all work towards this goal so I am aware that although I applied as an individual to take part in this project the work and outcomes will be beneficial for all our patients and will benefit the information and awareness that we have as a whole MDT to provide support and treatment options and priorities to our patients.
This should lead to our patients feeling informed and involved in the decisions that are made and to have some ability to take control of their own cancer pathway. I really hope that this leads to the best outcomes for the individuals who I meet and who we provide care for.
Edit Galambos – Lead Cancer Nurse at PHU tells us:
Personalised care means patients have choice and control over their care and the shared decisions can improve health and wellbeing outcomes. Patients are empowered to become involved in their care plan and enabling more tailored and individual support. It is based on ‘What and Who matters’ to them. According to the latest National Cancer Patient Experience Survey at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust (PHU) a member of the site-specific care teams helped 93% of our patients to create a care plan to address any needs or concerns. With the help of the Personalised Assessment and Care in Cancer (PACC) Project and Kate as a Personalised Care Champion our aim is to ensure all of our cancer patients are involved in a consultation where health professionals will holistically support the patient’s psychological, physical and social care.
On behalf of PHU, as an early adopter site for the PACC Project, I am extremely proud and excited about the opportunity to produce a local project plan in collaboration with the PACC Project team and the Wessex Cancer Alliance Personalised Care programme team and improve cancer patient experience.
We are interviewing for a second PACC champion in the New Year.