Peer evaluator project to improve cancer services

Co-designing focus groups with people affected by cancer from a diverse range of communities.

The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) project in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support aims to improve cancer services nationally as part of the Transforming Cancer Care Programme.

The Transforming Cancer Care Programme is a national partnership between Macmillan Cancer Support and the Scottish Government. The Programme aims to ensure that everyone diagnosed with cancer has access to a dedicated support worker, to receive financial, practical, and emotional support from diagnosis onwards.

Gordon McLean, Strategic Partnership Lead with Macmillan Cancer Support, said “hearing and understanding the needs of people affected by cancer is vital to the success of our work to transform cancer care in Scotland. We are working in partnership with the ALLIANCE who are supporting us to involve people affected by cancer. The ALLIANCE’s Macmillan Lived Experience Programme will help us hear from people who we might not have heard from otherwise, and who often encounter barriers when accessing cancer care so that we better understand their needs.’

The ALLIANCE will make sure lived experience of people affected by cancer informs the Transforming Cancer Care service design. To help do this, they have launched a new cancer experience project to design and deliver focus groups in partnership with people affected by cancer from a diverse range of communities. This will gain better insight into people’s experiences of accessing cancer services which will inform decision-making across the Transforming Cancer Care Programme.

Sarah Dick, Development Officer with the ALLIANCE told us ‘the strength of our new approach is that our focus groups will be co-designed and co-delivered by Cancer Experience Peer Evaluators. Our new Peer Evaluator role brings a vital element to the facilitation in that they too are people affected by cancer. This enables a person affected by cancer to be more involved in the process of designing and delivering how we gather information that is aimed at improving cancer services. In doing so, the Peer Evaluators will be our partners throughout this work, and their voices as people affected by cancer will be amplified throughout the entire project’.

Sara Redmond, Chief Officer of Development with the ALLIANCE added ‘our Macmillan Lived Experience Programme, through its new peer evaluator project, places people affected by cancer at the very heart of our work and will gather insights on the needs of people accessing cancer services. It will help us understand what matters most to people. This is central to our work at the ALLIANCE to ensure people are at the centre, that their voices, expertise and rights drive policy and improvements to support and services.’

Notes

About the ALLIANCE

• The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE) is the national third sector intermediary for a range of health and social care organisations.  The ALLIANCE has over 3,000 members including a large network of national and local third sector organisations, associates in the statutory and private sectors and individuals.  Many NHS Boards and Health and Social Care Partnerships are associate members.
• The ALLIANCE’s vision is for a Scotland where people of all ages who are disabled or living with long term conditions, and unpaid carers, have a strong voice and enjoy their right to live well, as equal and active citizens, free from discrimination, with support and services that put them at the centre  alliance-scotland.org.uk
• There are various opportunities to get involved in this project and to express your views as a person affected by cancer. The project has a particular interest in the experience of people affected by cancer from seldom heard communities, but participation from anyone affected by cancer is encouraged and welcomed.
• If you would like to get involved as a focus group participant or as Cancer Experience Peer Evaluator then contact Sarah, the Macmillan Lived Experience Development Officer at the ALLIANCE by email at macmillan@alliance-scotland.org.uk or call 0141 404 0231

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