Publish date: 9 October 2024
Cancer Alliance and Yorkshire cancer charity strengthen collaboration to relaunch patient panel
West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance has further strengthened its collaboration with patient-led charity, Yorkshire Cancer Community, with the relaunch of its award-winning patient panel and plans to broaden its engagement with local communities.
Members of the patient panel, some of whom joined the panel when it was set up seven years ago, attended the event, along with representatives of the Cancer Alliance; YCC Chair and former GP Dr Stewart Manning and his fellow charity trustees and a number of other people affected by cancer who are looking to become involved.
To support the work of the Alliance in tackling health inequalities, it is important that the membership of the panel is as diverse as possible in terms of where people live; the type(s) of cancer they are experiencing or have experienced; the communities they come from and their personal backgrounds and circumstances.
Over the past year, discussions have been taking place between the Alliance and YCC to look at how the delivery model could be developed to further strengthen the diversity of the panel and ensure strong connections are made through local communities with people who may not previously have been engaged in its work.
This includes a proposal for a greater number of roadshow-style sessions held in community venues to facilitate local connections.
Panel members are also involved through face to face sessions; online discussions; sharing views and ideas by email; one to one telephone calls and flexibly in other ways that work best for them.
Joint working on the panel will build on the successful collaboration between the Cancer Alliance and YCC to deliver the Cancer SMART programme and the network of cancer champions delivering nine health messages which promote cancer prevention, uptake of screening and early diagnosis with their own friends, family, communities, personal and professional networks.
