Bournemouth University has been involved in a project, led by Help & Care, and in collaboration with Wessex Cancer Alliance and Macmillan, which aimed to understand the experiences of cancer services for disabled and/or neurodivergent people.
Two disabled and neurodivergent community researchers were supported by Dr Mel Hughes, Stevie Corbin-Clarke (from NCPQSW) and Katherine Jupp to lead the project, and a clinical nurse specialist, who works across hospital and community settings to support patients during their cancer journey was recruited.
They carried out creative and engaging workshops with various community groups, including Autism Hampshire’s Fareham Serendipity group; the Dorset Blind Association; the MS Centre Dorset; and the Bournemouth and Poole Lymphoedema and Lipoedema Support group. These findings were supplemented by an online interview with a member of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).
Following a successful launch event on 17th May, we are excited to finally be able to share with you the full report and video. We would really like to thank everyone who came to the launch event and gave their feedback on the project… What a fabulous day it was!
The report is supplemented with case studies and quotes, drawn from the workshops, from which we developed a set of themes that we hope can support cancer service providers understanding of disabled people’s experiences, to help improve their practice.
You can find more information on the Help & Care website: https://www.helpandcare.org.uk/news-and-media/news/cancer-care-for-everyone/.
