We held the first in a series of showcase events to highlight progress in our various projects on 18 October 2016.
This showcase focused on our theme of Living With and Beyond Cancer and drew an audience from across the spectrum of health professionals in Greater Manchester and east Cheshire.
Dr Wendy Makin, who leads this theme, described the team’s ambition to shift from follow-up to ‘aftercare’ for those patients with early-stage breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. This means moving from traditional hospital-based care to treatment in the community.
Under this project, patients would experience care better tailored to their needs, would be more informed and better placed to manage their condition.
Dr David Waterman, consultant in palliative medicine at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust and our clinical lead for seven-day specialist palliative care, then outlined his plans in this area. He said the team was working on an approach to give all patients equal access to specialist palliative care that would include phone and face-to-face advice, as well as inpatient provision.
He added that the project aimed to increase the number of people who die in their place of choice.
Our final session was led by Stockport GP Dr Liz Elliott and Carole Mula, nurse consultant in palliative care, who explained their plans to improve the way information about the benefits and risks of further treatment is presented to patients.
They described how patients’ hopes and expectations of what further treatment might deliver vary greatly, and explained how new methods can help patients to arrive at better informed decisions.
The event was also supported by patient representative Mike Molete, who gave a carer’s perspective on this area and challenged providers to ensure all people affected by cancer have access to these improved services.
- Our picture shows Dr David Waterman discussing seven-day palliative care.
You can see a film of the presentations below.
You can download the presentations in full below.