Personalised care means a shift in the relationship between health and care professionals and people who are affected by cancer. This shift in relationship allows people to be valued as an active partner in conversations and decisions about their health and wellbeing. 

They can work in partnership with health and care professionals on decisions that affect their health and wellbeing, and have the information and support they need to make informed choices. This gives them more control, so that their health and wellbeing needs are met effectively in a way that matters to them.

Personalised care focuses on ‘what matters to you’ rather than ‘what’s the matter with you’ and on the patient having to tell their story just once. 

It is about people and health and care professionals sharing knowledge, expertise and responsibility for the individual's health and wellbeing, allowing them to be seen as a whole person with skills, strengths and attributes, as well as needs to be met.

Personalised care is an overall care and support package (formerly known as the Recovery Package). It includes access to personalised care from a person’s cancer diagnosis to the end of treatment and beyond.

This includes access to:

  • personalised care and support plans, based on holistic needs assessment
  • health and wellbeing information and support
  • an end of treatment summary
  • a follow up Quality of Life survey 18 months after diagnosis
  • regular cancer care reviews delivered in primary care (such as GP surgeries and clinics) or other community settings

We work with the people of West Yorkshire and Harrogate and our health, social care and voluntary sector partners to ensure everyone has the same access to support and information in their local community.

We also work to ensure that people affected by cancer and their families can better support themselves and manage their conditions and needs more effectively - empowering them to live as full and healthy a life as possible after a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

More information about these different elements of personalised care for people affected by cancer – so-called ‘interventions’ – is available on the NHS England website

You may also wish to view the Macmillan Cancer Support video which explains what personalised care – formerly the Recovery Package – is all about.


Here is a video which explains more about personalised care in general: