Personalised care is about recognising that everyone affected by cancer has different needs, preferences and circumstances.
Thames Valley Cancer Alliance works with NHS organisations and voluntary sector partners to support personalised care throughout the cancer pathway, from diagnosis and treatment to living with and beyond cancer.
This includes holistic needs assessments, personalised care and support planning, treatment summaries, cancer care reviews and access to health and wellbeing information and support.
These approaches help people feel informed, involved and supported in managing their health and wellbeing, in line with the ambitions of the National Cancer Plan for England.
Thames Valley Cancer Alliance and voluntary groups are supporting the implementation of the Recovery Package across primary and secondary care and other voluntary sectors to meet the needs health and wellbeing needs of patients personalised care.
The key features of the package are:
- a holistic needs assessment and a written individualised care and support plan at key points across the pathway. This should be agreed with and owned by the patient as well as shared with the local healthcare professionals designated in the plan. It should take a whole system approach to care planning taking in to account social circumstances, mental health needs, and any co-morbidities.
- a treatment summary completed at the end of every phase of acute treatment, sent to the patient and their GP – which provides information about side effects and/or consequences of treatment, signs and symptoms of a recurrence and READ codes for the diagnosis and treatment so that the GP can update their patient database.
- a cancer care review to discuss ongoing needs and completed by the patient’s GP or practice nurse within six months of a cancer diagnosis and covers post-treatment support, financial impact of cancer and information needs to enable self-management.
- access to a patient education and support event, such as a health and wellbeing clinic, to prepare the person for the transition to supported self-management, including advice on healthy lifestyle and physical activity.
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