Graham Willetts, chair of Dorset Macmillan Advocacy’s Cancer in Older People Development Group has participated, along with other group members, volunteer advocates and staff, in recent consultations by Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) about Cancer and End of Life services.
Two Public, Patient and Carer consultation events asked ‘What is good about current services and what could be better?’ and the Stakeholder (service providers from NHS and other sectors) consultation event asked participants to consider the collected responses to this question and to discuss in groups five areas including:
- What does it mean to plan and tailor cancer care around patients and carers?
- Do we need to focus more on survivorship? What do we need to do to support increasing number of patients living with cancer for 5 years or more?
The Cancer and End of Life Services clinical commissioning programme (CCP) is one of six set up by the Dorset CCG. The CCP is reviewing the priorities set in 2013 and looking to future trends and challenges, including the Better Together programme for integrated locality health and social care teams. The Dorset CCG will also launch a Clinical Services Review in the autumn.
Within the groups and during the closing plenary we described the benefits of independent advocacy to cancer patients and their carers and distributed copies of the case studies publication Every Step of the Way. Tracy Street, Regional Macmillan Involvement Coordinator, described the benefits of support groups. Tracy and Paula Bond, Regional Macmillan Development Manager, were invited to facilitate two of the discussion groups.
In summing up Dr Lionel Cartwright, a local GP and clinical chair of the Cancer and End of Life CCP, said he was encouraged by the discussions. He also said that he would like people to be empowered in terms of deciding the type of care that they want.
Pictured Sarah Turner, Principal Programme Lead, Dorset CCG and Graham Willetts
Kathleen Gillett, Dorset Macmillan Advocacy
Older People Living with Cancer 