The Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is committed to improve the psychosocial support offer and provide better access to Health & Wellbeing services.
Psychological Support and Mental Health Delivery Group
- The group is dedicated to enhancing psychological support and mental health care, and it operates within the Personalised Care workstream. It brings together a diverse team of specialists and patient representatives who collaborate to improve mental health services and experiences across cancer care. This includes areas such as diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, living with and beyond cancer, and end-of-life care.
- Comprised of psycho-oncology experts, the delivery group shares its expertise and skills to support and strengthen mental health services in primary care, secondary care, and talking therapy services. Acting as subject matter experts, they provide valuable knowledge and guidance to the wider teams, ensuring a holistic approach to mental health in cancer care.
- For more information, please feel free to reach out to Olivia Gunby [olivia.gunby@nhs.net]
Anita Ghosh, Clinical Lead
Katie Law, Programme Manager for Genomics/Psychological Support
Olivia Gunby, Personalised Care Manager, Psychological Support & Mental Health
Think Well With Cancer
The Greater Manchester Cancer Alliance is collaborating with Greater Manchester Mental Health (GMMH) NHS Foundation Trust to develop a tailored Talking Therapies Cancer Pathway embedded within existing Talking Therapies and aligned with the objectives of the NHS Long-Term Plan. This initiative supports GMMH’s commitment to expanding Talking Therapies services to address specific long-term conditions, in line with the integrated care goals outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan » Adult mental health services.
The ‘Think Well with Cancer’ project aims to create a specific referral pathway for individuals affected by cancer into Talking Therapies services, while also delivering specialised training to Talking Therapies staff. This will ensure timely, tailored support and improve the overall provision of services for this group, enhancing their care and well-being.
The project will focus on helping individuals understand, adjust to, and cope with the psychological impact of cancer, as well as treating common comorbidities such as anxiety and depression.
Once launched, the project will allow referrals from oncology specialists, GPs, other healthcare professionals, and self-referrals, creating an accessible support system for those affected by cancer.
Innovation Projects
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Innovation Project
RMCH to pilot three innovative support options for children with an oncology diagnosis, their parent/carers and siblings.
- Parent ‘café’ support groups for parents/carers adjusting to their child’s oncology diagnosis. (up to 9 groups)
- Tree of Life (ToL) group for children and young people who have finished active treatment (‘ringing the bell’) and are adjusting back into day-to-day routines and a ‘new normal’. (up to 4 groups)
- Forest School support programme to enable siblings to address the adverse psychological impact of having a brother or sister with a cancer diagnosis. (up to 4 groups)
NHS Talking Therapies, Tameside and Glossop
Expansion of the service to offer Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Interpersonal Therapy (IPT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Compassion- Focused therapy to people living with cancer
Training Resources
Please see the link below to the Cancer Academy for info on the following modules:
- Foundations in Psychological Care
- Psychological Care Level 2 Modules