Get Involved

Get Involved with Patient Partnerships

Patient partnership, via patient engagement, demonstrates TVCA’s commitment to putting patients and those affected by cancer at the heart of our work.

TVCA values the work of our patient participants and recognises the difference that you can help make to NHS services. We need patient and carer volunteers to help us understand what it is like to use our cancer services.

Could you be a volunteer patient rep?

Christine from Bicester quote1

We are currently looking for patients, family members and/or carers to help us improve cancer services across Thames Valley.

If you would like to get involved, we’d love to hear from you. Please email Lisa Cox, the TVCA Patient Engagement & Patient Experience Lead, or call her on 07900 715074.

TVCA Patient Partnership Group

Your patient voice could help improve patient safety, patient experience, and health outcomes within our health services.  It is essential that patient involvement is meaningful and has impact.

Working in patient partnership

TVCA is committed to ensuring that we listen to people who have had experience of cancer, to help improve cancer services. Working with the Alliance’s community and charitable partners, the PPG is the forum for the local public voice to be heard and to feed into our Executive Board.

PPG meetings have been scheduled for 2024, from 1:00pm to 3:00pm on:

  • Wednesday 27 March 2024
  • Wednesday 26 June 2024
  • Wednesday 25 September 2024
  • Wednesday 18 December 2024

Our most recent PPG meeting

The most recent meeting was on Wednesday 20 December 2023 (see recording below).

Updates include:

  • An overview of the TVCA psych-oncology report and its recommendations
  • An overview of the TVCA Showcase Event (Nov)
  • Outcomes from the TVCA Executive Board meeting (Nov)
  • High level summary from the TVCA Delivery Group meeting (Nov)
  • Research overview and patient involvement opportunities
  • Activities to support breast cancer awareness – patient involvement & Future Dreams
  • An overview of the transition child/adult services late effects project
  • Patient involvement on the late effects project
  • Recent communications update and Q4 cancer awareness campaigns
  • NCPES actions plans & collaborative patient involvement
  • PPG 2024 meeting dates

PPG Meeting Archive

Updates include:

  • a review of the outcomes from July’s TVCA Executive Board meeting
  • a high level summary from Sept’s TVCA Delivery Group meeting
  • an evaluation of the personalised care and PPG event, held in June 2023
  • an overview of the TVCA SACT project
  • an overview of the 2022 results from the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey (NCPES) for the Thames Valley
  • recent and Q3 cancer awareness campaigns
  • a proposal for updating the web content of the Get Involved page of the TVCA website

Updates include:

  • a review of the outcomes from January’s TVCA Executive Board meeting
  • an overview of TVCA’s planning process and priorities for 2023 – 2024
  • an overview of Healthwatch and patient involvement on GP patient partnership groups (PPGs)
  • an update around GP Nurse Facilitators in the Thames Valley
  • an update on the development around TVCA’s patient engagement strategy
  • an overview of data identifying health inequalities within the Thames Valley and proposed plans for the improvement of cancer specific outreach/services
  • highlighting the need for diversifying our PPG to be representative of our local population
  • ideas for consideration regarding content for the next meeting to be held face to face in June

Updates included:

  • a review of the outcomes from the October TVCA Executive Board meeting
  • an overview of recent cancer performance across the Thames Valley region
  • an outline of Macmillan services and an initial discussion around the development/co-production of an Alliance wide engagement strategy.
  • a summary of the TVCA Showcase Event held on 6 December
  • the TVCA volunteering opportunities still open for patient involvement

The PPG meeting on Wednesday 7 September 2022 marked the first year anniversary of when the TVCA PPG was set up.  Updates included:

  • a review of the outcomes from the July TVCA Executive Board meeting
  • the latest oncology workforce update
  • working with BOB ICS
  • TVCA volunteering opportunities open for patient involvement
  • an overview of the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey results for 2021

A recording of the meeting can be found below:

At the PPG meeting on Wednesday 8 June 2022, updates included:

  • the latest updates from the April TVCA Board meeting
  • TVCA approach to supporting the implementation of NHS national operational planning guidance for 2022-23
  • an overview of the TVCA cancer allies project was provided by Dr Salman Waqar
  • the TVCA dashboard was demonstrated to the group sharing recent cancer performance across the region
  • Dr Susan Kurien shared the approach to mapping cancer psychological services

A recording of the meeting can be found below:

Updates included:

  • The latest approaches being taken forward, as discussed and agreed at the TVCA Executive Board meeting in January
  • A review of the NHS Operational & Planning Guidance for 2022/2023
  • The ongoing development of the Rapid Diagnostic Services (RDS), along with the patient portal that a number of our patient representatives have offered their time to support
  • How the Alliance is looking to address the workforce issues, that the Thames Valley is experiencing within cancer services
  • Our patient representatives number has now grown to over 30 people wishing to support the work of the Alliance, within the local area

Following the group’s launch in September, the next PPG meeting was held on Tuesday 7 December 2021.

At this meeting, the newly appointed Chair was introduced to the group – Mr William Butler. William has extensive experience representing the patient voice within health and voluntary sector organisations.

William also sits as a senior partner on our Executive Board, to provide input and advisory feedback on the activities involving our patient/carer representatives, ensuring that the wider collective patient voice, of those affected by cancer, is a key enabler in the priorities of the Alliance.

Membership of the PPG group includes patient/carers representatives supporting the Alliance, as well as other organisations supporting communities across Thames Valley – eg community partners or groups, Public Health teams, health & social care organisations, voluntary & charitable organisations, commissioners and providers.

Updates were:

  • Who we are as an Alliance and who we work with
  • Details of our programme of work: Quality Improvement Scheme (QIS), Standards, Innovation, Help Us Help You campaigns, Personalised Care, Rapid Diagnostic Service (RDS), and TVCA Data Hub

Case Studies

Biography of our Chair William Butler:

William Butler

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