Personalised Care
What is personalised care?
Personalised care simply means that patients have more control and choice when it comes to the way their care is planned and delivered, taking into account individual needs, preferences and circumstances.
Due to developments in diagnosis and treatment of the disease cancer survival rates have doubled in the last 40 years. There are currently 2.5 million people living with cancer in the UK however this is set to rise to 4 million by 2030. This means more people are living with the disease, its side effects and the consequences of its treatment for many years.
The 2019 NHS England Long Term Plan describes the following as ambitions for cancer care delivery:
- Where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. This will be delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care. This will empower people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support. Every patient with cancer will get a full assessment of their needs, an individual care plan and information and support for their wider health and wellbeing. All patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker.
- After treatment, patients will move to a follow-up pathway that suits their needs, and ensures they can get rapid access to clinical support where they are worried that their cancer may have recurred. This stratified follow-up approach will be established in all trusts for breast, prostate, colorectal and gynaecological cancers. In 2019, we introduced an innovative quality of life metric – the first on this scale in the world – to track and respond to the long-term impact of cancer
To improve cancer care and outcomes in 2023/2024 the Northern Cancer Alliance are focusing on:
- Improving and developing new pathways that support the mental wellbeing of cancer patients at ‘place’
- Supporting pilot cancer prehabilitation (prehab) services, developing resources and upskilling staff, with a view of making these services sustainable and available to all cancer patients
- Increasing the uptake and quality of personalised care interventions including Holistic Needs Assessments (HNA), Personalised Care and Support Plans (PCSPs), End of Treatment Summaries (EoTS), and Cancer Care Reviews in primary care
- Developing community based models and educational resources that improve access and availability to health and wellbeing information and support, with a focus on sleep and the menopause
- Supporting the rollout of the personalised stratified follow up (PSFU) in colorectal, breast, gynaecological, and prostate cancer
The Northern Cancer Alliance is supported in delivering the Personalised Care Work Programme by the Public Involvement Accountability Forum (PIAF) and informed by the experiences of people affected by cancer from across the North East and North Cumbria.
Personalised Care – animation for Health Care professionals
We know cancer patient outcomes are improved when a patient is more involved in the decisions made about their treatment and care plan. This video explains what personalised care is, what it looks like, and how to respond positively to it.
Personalised Care – animation for patients
We want to make sure everyone diagnosed with cancer feels involved in their care – we call this personalised care. This short video explains what personalised care is, what to expect following a cancer diagnosis, and how it can help you live as full and active life as possible.
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