A “MUCH-NEEDED” service designed to tackle a gap in care for cancer patients has been launched.
The Improving the Cancer Journey Jersey project – a collaborative venture between the Health Department and Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey – will see newly diagnosed patients referred directly to the charity for a holistic needs assessment.
This will lead to an individual care plan, which will also be shared with health services.
The change forms part of Jersey’s first cancer strategy, which was published towards the end of last year.
It highlights the ways in which health providers can aid disease prevention, increase detection through the further development of existing screening programmes and better support patients and their families.
Dr Elizabeth Gomes Dos Santos, an oncology consultant and service lead for oncology within the Health Department, said: “We are thrilled to launch this much-needed service, addressing a clear gap in care for our cancer patients.”
She added that the partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support Jersey “represents a shared commitment to improving the lives of those affected by cancer”.
“Together, we are setting a new standard for comprehensive and compassionate cancer care,” she explained.
The charity’s chief clinical officer, Lauren Perchard Rees, said the aim was to see Islanders within 45 days of their diagnosis.
She said: “It’s putting the person at the heart of the whole process. Whereas before, the person is going and seeing different health care professionals, using community services, charity services, their GP – but none of that’s being shared and nobody knows.
“This is putting the person at the heart [of the process] and making sure that all the right services are wrapping around them.
“It’s giving them the empowerment and the permission to really talk about what’s important to them at that time.”
She added: “All the research is there to show that if you support peoples’ needs early on in their cancer diagnosis, their outcomes are going to be better.”
