Wessex Cancer Alliance has offered organisations and teams to apply for financial support for a project, through a new Innovation Fund. The fund aims to support the development of cancer specific patient care and services, alongside the development of an informed and confident workforce. We received a really positive response to this offering and are delighted to share the details of the successful applicants.
A summary of the successful applicants are as follows, presented in alphabetical order:
Masterclass tutorials
Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Therapeutic Workshops
You can read about this project here.
Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Oncology Dietitians project
The oncology dietitians at Hampshire Hospital Foundation Trust (HHFT) will be using their funding for:
1. the development of an interactive, digital, patient-led nutrition self-screening tool. The screening tool is aimed at adult outpatients living in the community who are under the care of cancer services. The tool will empower patients and carers to be proactive and engaged in their care at all stages of their cancer journey (pre-treatment, during treatment and after treatment) with knowledge around the importance of nutrition and cancer, to:
- allow them and their carers to identify whether there may be an issue,
- signpost them to evidence based, practical, first line advice
- access the tool from their own homes and from HHFT premises
- raise issues/concerns with theirmedical teams in a timely way.
2. Six tablet computers to allow ease of access to the above resource whilst patients receive treatment/sit in waiting areas in HHFT buildings, to enable equity of access.
You can read more about this project here.
Mountbatten Hampshire
Rehabilitation Virtual Groups
You can read about this project here.
NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group
Lifestyle and physical activity guidance
To support patients in North and Mid Hampshire with a suspicion of, or with a confirmed cancer diagnosis by accessing lifestyle and physical activity guidance through working with the wider workforce. The funding will be used to develop a framework/toolkit for the service which will be developed to present a business case for sustainability. The funding will also enable working collaboratively with local qualified exercise instructors who can support patients with advice and guidance.
University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
Pathway for nutritional support for people with Oesophageal cancer
The funding will enable the dietitian department to develop a pathway for the nutritional management of patients with oesophageal and gastric cancers who are having surgical resections.
There will be a specific focus on ensuring patients receive detailed education pre-operatively about eating after surgery with the option of being educated using an online digital platform such as ‘Attend Anywhere’.
Royal Bournemouth Hospital is a regional centre for oesophageal cancer surgery and treats patients from the whole of Dorset, parts of Hampshire and Wiltshire. It is anticipated that the funding will help to transform the service at the surgical site by providing early nutritional assessment and dietitian input at the pre-operative stage. This will ensure that patients and their carers are more informed and confident about the management of diet post-surgery and how to correctly manage eating difficulties that may arise as a result of their treatment.
If you would like further information on this project please contact Claire Stuckey, Specialist Gastroenterology Dietitian at Claire.stuckey@uhd.nhs.uk
Community Outreach service for people with Head and Neck cancer
To develop a pilot project to look at developing a community based AHP outreach service to vulnerable head and neck cancer patients during the COVID 19 pandemic. The aim of this project is to expedite discharge from hospital post-surgery by providing a community rather than hospital-based rehabilitation programme and to reduce the need for outpatient visits for specialist rehabilitation through use of home visits and virtual consultations and web-based monitoring systems.
Electronica triage service for people with suspected colorectal cancer
To work initially with NHS Dorset CCG to develop an electronic triage system for suitable patients to reduce time to test. Like the GP’s use of e-consult; an online service that allows patients to fill a responsive questionnaire on a variety of symptoms.
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
Psychological support within the Complex Cancer and Exenteration Team (SCCET)
To fund a 0.2WTE band 8b Clinical psychologist to work alongside the Southampton Complex Cancer and Exenteration Team (SCCET) team.
This funding will provide several deliverables which will have both immediate and longer-term benefits serving the Wessex population. These are outlined below:
- An immediate route for accessing clinical psychology services for patients with advanced cancer needing complex surgical intervention
- The development of better and new pathways linking across primary and secondary care mental health services for such patients
Perioperative medicine team: early identification and support for people at risk of malnutrition
You can read about this project here.
SafeFit: Evaluation of training provided to Exercise Instructors
We are delighted to have been chosen to be part of the WCA innovation fund project.
Many thanks to WCA for having the confidence and belief in our project.
So much collaboration possible across Wessex that we were not previously aware of.
Looking forward to working with you!
