SafeFit is a new online clinical trial offering emotional, physical and healthy eating support to people dealing with cancer.
The National Lottery has provided funding through the Royal College of Anaesthetists, supporting CanRehab Trust help more people living through the Covid-19 pandemic with a diagnosis or suspicion of cancer to access this ground-breaking trial. Early funding and access were provided by Macmillan Cancer Support.
SafeFit is an online clinical trial that is free to join. It offers remote support with exercise, nutritional advice as well as supporting mental wellbeing. After an initial assessment, patients can benefit from one-to-one telephone or video consultations, video exercise sessions and virtual group exercise sessions as well as advice on healthy eating and emotional support, in line with relevant Government COVID-19 guidelines with CanRehab Trust Instructors.
SafeFit has been developed by internationally renowned cancer research, exercise, and wellbeing specialists in partnership with University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Macmillan Cancer Support, CanRehab Trust, Royal College of Anaesthetists, Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC), National Institute for Health Research Cancer and Nutrition Collaboration, University of Southampton, and Wessex Cancer Alliance.
Professor Sandy Jack, Professor of Prehabilitation Medicine at University Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Southampton. “Back in March my team had to call nine cancer patients in one day to explain we were pausing our WesFit trial of exercise and psychological support – all were completely devastated. I was clear there and then that we had to find a way to support these people and others like them through the pandemic. The SafeFit Trial was the result, and now this Lottery funding means our team can support even more people through this time, and build the evidence for better future support services, together with our partners.”
Professor Mike Grocott of the Royal College of Anaesthetists said: “CPOC is proud to work with SafeFit and other partners to offer this home-based approach to improving physical, nutritional and psychological health to people with cancer. Collecting data to help SafeFit become a recognised patient service so it can help even more people is so important. And the funding from the National Lottery will help more than a thousand of people who would be struggling alone both physically and emotionally, so this is hugely welcome.”
Rosie Loftus, Chief Medical Officer at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “In these difficult times, SafeFit is a lifeline for many people with cancer offering essential wellbeing support. Macmillan is proud to partner with such important organisations and provide the early funding and initially, access to the service via the Macmillan website. Our first priority is to support people living with cancer and we know already how beneficial SafeFit has been to people in supporting them with some of the physical and emotional aspects.”
Professor Anna Campbell, MBE Chair of CanRehab Trust said: “CanRehab Trust is delighted to be part of this very important clinical trial. The instructors on the CanRehab Trust Register are able to provide this support to people affected by cancer during this difficult period. Our registered cancer exercise specialists have received excellent additional training by the clinical trial team in order to provide the complete SafeFit offer of exercise, nutritional and emotional support.”
SafeFit Participant Yvonne Mackerlich Maule said: “I had tried my best to keep exercising and fit during treatment, but it wasn’t as much as I would have liked. At the end of treatment, I did not recognise who I was physically or emotionally, and it was starting to take its toll. Being accepted on to the SafeFit trial gave me the hope and much needed boost to look at myself and what I needed as an individual to get my life back on track. The instructor I was paired up with was a great match and very knowledgeable and progressively each week pushed me that little bit further. Having someone there to support my needs was at this time worth its weight in gold.”
About SafeFit
The SafeFit trial is on the National Institute for Health Research portfolio of COVID-19 priority trials and Support by NIHR Clinical Research Network. It is hoped that the results of this clinical trial will provide the evidence for SafeFit to become a recognised business as usual patient service.
The trial builds on pioneering studies indicating that ‘prehabilitation’- getting into the best possible shape before and during cancer treatment – has significant benefits for patients’ wellbeing, quality of life and readiness for major surgery.
SafeFit was a direct response to the devastation of participants on the WesFit-Wessex Fit-4-Cancer Surgery prehabilitation trial, after it was paused in March’s lockdown. In a year of anxiety and uncertainty for them and others awaiting cancer treatment or living with cancer and shielding, the study offers them a chance to take some control and positive steps in dealing with their diagnosis.
And now Southampton’s WesFit Clinical Trial team, who lead its delivery are able to accept more referrals to the study, thanks to a £99,903 award from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund. The partners thank the Government for making this possible.
SafeFit originates from a well-established partnership between organisations which previously co-produced national guidelines on Prehabilitation for people with cancer. The trial is also an extension of current work lead by CPOC on the perioperative pathway, highlighting the positive effects of active lifestyle choices on recovery and COVID-19 related shielding.
Read more case studies from SafeFit participants and CanRehab instructors below:
