Cancer Reform Strategy - First Annual Report - Merseyside ...

CHAPTER 5: lIVINg WITH AND BEyoND CANCER 33• self prescribing by patients.5.14 There are plans in early 2009 to look ata primary care module of the cancer patientinformation delivery tool for gPs and othercommunity staff, to help them to ensure thatpatients living with cancer have access to highquality coordinated information.5.15 Another version of the tool will beavailable, in 2009, which will allow health careprofessionals to develop bespoke informationprescriptions with patients supported byinformation from the national cancer patientinformation pathways, with additional featuressuch as emailable information to patientsand carers.5.16 In discussing the information needs ofpatients, the CRS Advisory Board highlighted thevery important role that NHS Choices does andcan play in providing the right information. Theysuggested that the Cancer Programme shouldwork more proactively with NHS Choices. Thiswill be taken forward in 2009.National Cancer SurvivorshipInitiative5.17 Chapter 5 of the CRS covered a rangeof other issues which affect people living withand beyond cancer, including the need to ensurethat patients experience good continuity ofcare, the importance of psychological supportfor cancer survivors and the role of clinicalnurse specialists. These and many other issuesare being taken forward as part of the NationalCancer Survivorship Initiative (NCSI) which,following the CRS, was established to supportthe survivorship agenda.5.18 The NCSI is co-chaired by Ciaran Devane,Chief Executive of Macmillan Cancer Support,and Mike Richards, National Cancer Director,with a steering group overseeing the deliveryof the agenda. The CRS said that there wouldbe a think tank event about how to take thesurvivorship agenda forward, and the workprogramme is based on the recommendationsarising from that event, which was held inMarch 2008.5.19 Work streams have been established onthe following:• assessment, care planning and immediatepost treatment approaches to care• managing active, progressive and recurrentdisease• late effects of treatment• survivors of childhood and young peoplecancers• work and finance• self-care and self-management• research.5.20 Each work stream has also been askedto consider issues relating to information,commissioning and workforce. once the workof the individual work streams is more advanced,cross-cutting groups will be established.5.21 Sixteen test communities have beenidentified to map their current adult survivorshippathway, identify opportunities for improvementand to test the opportunities within theircommunity. For children and young people’sservices, ten test sites are being launched inJanuary 2009. NHS Improvement are overseeingand managing this process.5.22 The NCSI as well as the work streamsand test sites were officially launched on 11September 2008. The plan is for the workstreams to have reached initial conclusions intime for a vision and implementation plan tobe published in the autumn of 2009.