The Cancer Patient Partners Group

Join the Cancer Patient Partners Group

and help us make Kingston Hospital’s Cancer Services the best they can be!

If you have been treated for cancer or cared for someone who has been a cancer patient, we invite you to join our group. We welcome people of all genders, ages, ethnicities, and those with disabilities.

About us

Whatever background and skills you have, we believe the voices and experiences of patients and carers can be a real force for positive change.

The group meets at Kingston Hospital approximately every three months and gets involved in specific projects or committees.

We aim to ensure that the experiences and voices of patients, carers and their families are part of the reviewing and planning of cancer services at Kingston Hospital.

Our experience has shown us that we are listened to and that we can make a difference to patient experience and cancer care.

Our aims are to:

• Strengthen the voice of all those affected by cancer within our hospital.
• Engage with and listen to people whose lives have been affected by cancer.
• Work on behalf of patients and carers to monitor and improve cancer services.
• Help bring about changes needed to improve these services.

Our activities and opportunities include:

• Being involved in the design and carrying out of surveys with patients and carers
• Ensuring that patients’ voices and experiences are always considered when improvements are being made to cancer services
• Reviewing local and national developments in cancer care – including information from the annual National Cancer Patient Experience Survey
• Contributing to hospital meetings and committees including representation at Cancer Board
• Working with health professionals to help design good quality, patient-friendly communications, including  information sheets, leaflets and videos
• Talking about patient experience to health professionals to support and enhance their training
• Helping to decide on and take part in Quality Improvement projects
• Advising on the setting up of new patient support initiatives

Members can decide just how involved they’d like to be and what activities they want to take part in.

What our members say.

There are many different reasons for wanting to join the group but these are some comments from the group’s members on why they decided to get involved:

“I saw the group advertised whilst attending an appointment at SWRU and felt that my experience of caring for three close relatives with cancer and then developing cancer myself put me in a good position to understand how the experience of cancer care can be made easier for patients, family and carers.”

“I feel very welcomed by the group and by the hospital teams with whom we work and we are listened to with respect. I have seen changes that I have influenced and that is a fantastic reward for being involved.”

“Some groups are all talk and no action. But I feel we’re making a real difference to the way patients with cancer are diagnosed and treated at Kingston Hospital and that’s why I’m proud to be a member.”

“My own experience of cancer and my husband’s, was the driving force to my involvement in this group. Listening to and learning from patient experience is so important and our group at Kingston Hospital provides a valuable resource that I’m proud to be part of.  It certainly is going some way to improving the experience of current and future patients with cancer.”

If you’d like to find out more or are interested in coming along to observe one of our meetings with a view to joining, please call:

Archana Sood, Macmillan Information and Support Manager

020 8973 5001

Or

Email khft.macinfoswru@nhs.net

Please note that this particular group is not a complaints forum or a support group. For complaints or compliments contact khf.pals@nhs.net or call 0208 934 3993

For further cancer support please visit the Macmillan Information and Support Centre at Kingston Hospital.