Personalised care is fundamental to delivering better quality care that is meaningful to the individual and supports their health and wellbeing. This empowers people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer. 

Everyone is different and will have different concerns when they are diagnosed with cancer. We are working to make sure that people with cancer are treated as people. Every patient should have the opportunity to discuss all of their concerns, whether during a hospital appointment or with their GP, and get the support they need.

Personalised Care Programme Board

The Personalised Care Programme Board was established in 2023.

The Board brings together the key stakeholders from across Greater Manchester who are responsible for the delivery of personalised Care in Cancer services.  This includes representation from primary and secondary care services as well as commissioners, public health and patient and carer representatives from our Cancer Voices Community.  The Board also includes representation from 10GM which supports this programme to engage with Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations across Greater Manchester.

The Programme Board will report to and be held to account by the Greater Manchester Cancer Board.

Key people

Clare Garnsey, Clinical Lead, breast pathway boardClare Garnsey

Associate Medical Director

Freya DriverFreya Driver

Programme Director for Personalised Care

Michelle Leach, GM Cancer Pathway ManagerMichelle Leach, Live Well with Cancer Programme Manager

Andrea Webber

Andrea Webber, Project Manager

Miranda BreenMiranda Breen, Project Manager

generic image of a womanSimran Chander, Project Manager

Lisa HeysLisa Heys, Project Support Officer

What do we mean when we say “Personalised Care”?

Personalised care simply means that patients have more control and choice when it comes to the way their care is planned and delivered, taking into account individual needs, preferences and circumstances.

Due to developments in diagnosis and treatment of the disease cancer survival rates have doubled in the last 40 years. There are currently 2.5 million people living with cancer in the UK however this is set to rise to 4 million by 2030. This means more people are living with the disease, its side effects and the consequences of its treatment for many years.

The 2019 NHS England Long Term Plan describes the following as ambitions for cancer care delivery:

  • Where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. This will be delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care. This will empower people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support. Every patient with cancer will get a full assessment of their needs, an individual care plan and information and support for their wider health and wellbeing. All patients, including those with secondary cancers, will have access to the right expertise and support, including a Clinical Nurse Specialist or other support worker.
  • After treatment, patients will move to a follow-up pathway that suits their needs, and ensures they can get rapid access to clinical support where they are worried that their cancer may have recurred. This stratified follow-up approach will be established in all trusts for breast, prostate, colorectal and gynaecological cancers. In 2019, we introduced an innovative quality of life metric – the first on this scale in the world – to track and respond to the long-term impact of cancer

The Personalised Care Programme has been reinvigorated in 23/24 and our team expanded to support delivery of not only the Long Term Plan ambitions but also ensure all of our patients in GM are provided high quality personalised care throughout their entire pathway as illustrated above. Our focus in 2024/25 is

  • Increasing the uptake and quality of personalised care interventions including
  • Developing educational resources that improve access and availability to health and wellbeing information and support, with a focus on the issues identified as most important to patients through HNA’s, Cancer Patient Experience Survey ( CPES) and Quality of Life Survey (QOLS)
  • Supporting the rollout of the personalised stratified follow up (PSFU) in colorectal, breast, gynaecological, and prostate cancer including the implementation of a digital monitoring system
  • Improving and developing new pathways that support the mental wellbeing of cancer patients through the Psychological Support and Mental Health Project
  • Embedding genomic testing in to oncology pathways to ensure that all patients receive the the correct tests and the right time for them
  • Working with the communities we serve to deliver personalised cancer care, providing people with access to care and support that meets their varied and individual needs. The is called Live Well with Cancer  (LWwC) Programme
  • Conduct mapping and gap analyses and produce improvement plans for (a) prehabilitation services and (b) the offer of brief behaviour change across the whole cancer pathway that support people to increase any form of physical activity.

Listen to Farida’s story and what Personalised Care means to her

The map below shows what patients should be offered throughout their pathway to ensure they receive personalised care.

Our Personalised Care Programme will be supporting and driving forward the quality delivery of this pathway that should be available for all patients diagnosed with cancer.

Graphic shows various people walking down a road depicting their cancer pathway. The various signs along the road read; Cancer Genomic Testing – new offer in development available within some cancer conditions Holistic Needs Assessment – Helps you identify the concerns that are most important so your healthcare team can refer you to other services if you need more help or support. Personalised Care Support Plan (PCSP) – captures and provides a written record of the HNA conversations, decisions and agreed outcomes to support your health and wellbeing. Treatment Summary Cancer Care Review – conversation between a patient and your GP or a Practice Nurse to provide support after a cancer diagnosis Health and Wellbeing Support Patient Stratified Follow up (PSFU) – Give patients control over their follow up care allowing them to be seen when needed such as when their symptoms or circumstances change, otherwise avoiding the inconvenience of appointments of low clinical value. Community Groups Online Support Supported Self Management

Personalised Care is a part of many of the other workstreams and priorities of The Alliance. 

Click on the links below to see some of the work that is going on across The Alliance which will support The Personalised Care Agenda.