21/06/2024
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt was speaking at the ‘Commitment to Change Conference’ today where the change commitments and outcomes of the Cancer Connected Communities West project were presented.
The project is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland and was developed with support from the National Lottery Community Fund. The initiative brought together six charities to connect people affected by cancer to each other, to provide support in the community and link them to the people who deliver cancer services, so they can use their experiences to make improvements.
The project supported and engaged with over 2000 people affected by cancer living across the entire Western Trust geography. Project participants attended workshops over the course of three years and used their lived experience to improve cancer care by negotiating change with senior representatives from the Western Trust, Department of Health, Macmillan, the Public Health Agency, Department for Infrastructure and many other organisations. The change commitments were presented at the final conference in the Ebrington Hotel on 20 June 2024.
As well as lead partner Derry Well Women, partners include:
- Action Cancer
- Advice North West
- Cancer Focus NI
- Care for Cancer, Omagh
- Supported We Live Life (SWELL), County Fermanagh
The National Lottery Community Fund awarded a grant of £465,000 to develop the project and enable a collaborative approach which helped to integrate care for cancer patients across the Western Trust area over the past three years. The project was launched by former Health Minister Robin Swann in November 2021.
Minister for Health, Mike Nesbitt said: –
“The voice of those with lived experience of cancer has been central to the development of our Cancer Strategy. I want to acknowledge the contribution of everyone involved in the Cancer Connected Communities West project. This project sets a benchmark for the co-production of cancer services, and I am delighted that the lessons that have been learned over the past three years are already helping to shape how we implement the actions within the Cancer Strategy.”
While some of the funding was used to further support the emotional, financial, psychological impact of cancer, the project was also instrumental in enabling the personal experience of patients be heard.
Pauline McKenna, a project participant, said:
“I am so very grateful to Cancer Connected Communities West for the opportunity to use the difficult and distressing experience of having cancer to be part of a collective voice that will make meaningful and lasting improvements to Cancer Services in the West. I can think of no more inspiring and empowering gift to Service Users.”
Cancer Connected Communities enabled cancer patients to take the lead in creating a change agenda to integrate cancer care in the Western Trust using coproduction and a model of engagement which was originally developed by Derry Well Women.
Deirdre O’Neill, Project Manager of Cancer Connected Communities said:
“This is the first time that multiple charities along with the Western Trust have come together in a pro-active, coordinated way to improve services for cancer patients. Those affected by cancer attended their local charity for emotional and practical support and through this nurturing and empowering process have used their voice to improve cancer services. The Western Trust and other organisations have welcomed the opportunity to hear from lived experience and have been very willing and open to hear suggestions and negotiate the change commitments that we have heard today.”
The commitments presented at the Commitment to Change Conference today were negotiated through facilitated workshops with service users, carers, the Cancer Connected Communities Wests’ partners, Western Trust representatives, Department of Health officials and many other organisations. The commitments related to various themes including connecting rural communities, improving the health and wellbeing of the cancer workforce, addressing health inequalities, supporting informal carers, modernising pathways for patients being treated at the NW Cancer Centre, improving the completion of Holistic Needs Assessments for all Western Trust cancer patients, as well as addressing and implementing changes to improve communication and many others.
This creative, integrated and locally based approach has been warmly welcomed by the Western Trust.
Chair of the Western Trust, Dr Tom Frawley, who was speaking at the event, said:
“The Western Trust has been delighted to work with our Cancer Connected Communities partners on this innovative project over the past three years. It has provided us with invaluable insights and opportunities to meet and listen to those affected by cancer who live in the geography served by the Western Trust, particularly those from hard-to-reach groups and those living in rural communities. Based on their feedback, insights and suggestions we have heard throughout this process we have reviewed our services and made changes and improvements which we presented today. The Western Trust recognises the huge potential of the model of engagement that has underpinned every aspect of this project and is committed to continuing to work with partners to support the sustainability of this model.”