The project
More people than ever are living with cancer that can be treated but not be cured. Difficult symptoms, repeated emergency hospital admissions, and care that doesn’t always reflect what matters most to the individual is common. Supportive Oncology can improve this. It works alongside cancer treatment, helping people manage symptoms, navigate healthcare services, and make informed decisions about care. Services differ widely across England, and many cancer centres do not provide them. Identifying the right model of Supportive Oncology to deliver personalised, quality care for everyone requires research.
What are they going to do?
The project contains four linked stages.
1. Designing the service with patients and healthcare professionals
2. Agreeing what success looks like
3. Testing whether the service can work in the NHS
4. Planning for future NHS implementation
Working with patients, clinicians, cancer alliances and healthcare leaders, Dr Charlotte Chamberlain will develop practical guidance showing how Supportive Oncology services can be established and sustained within the NHS. She will also create a national network of clinicians and healthcare leaders who can support future implementation.
Why is this research important?
Although this study cannot directly test whether Supportive Oncology improves outcomes, it will clearly define a Supportive Oncology service, understand how it may improve care and how to formally evaluate it. Charlotte will know how the service can be delivered and studied in NHS cancer centres. Charlotte will have a plan for how successful services could be implemented more widely across England. In the longer term, this work aims to ensure that people living with treatable but not curable cancer receive coordinated, personalised, equitable care, with better support for decision-making and quality of life.
How to get involved
The application is relevant for anyone with personal lived experience of being diagnosed with an advanced cancer or supporting someone with advanced cancer. The focus is on people who undertook /are undertaking some disease targeted treatment for their cancer, like chemo or immunotherapy and the people who are important to them.
People who have undergone successful curative treatment for their cancer are not eligible to participate.
No scientific background or prior experience is needed to take part in this opportunity.
Next steps
If you are interested in joining the focus groups or would like more information, please email Charlotte (charlotte.chamberlain@bristol.ac.uk) quoting the involvement reference ‘PCUK RIN Participation’.
