We ran a cancer support group for two years from 2014 to 2016. The support group was set up after establishing the need for support for black patients. Published reports from the UK’s Department of Health stated that: there was no customized support services or information for black and minority ethnic (BME) patients; the NHS takes a Eurocentric approach to cancer care which is not relevant to the needs of BME patients; the key issues around religion and culture were trivialized during patient assessments; BME cancer patients are less likely to report a positive experience with regards to the care they receive; and African Caribbean women experienced poor signposting to culturally appropriate services, particularly those related to their practical support needs. They also found that patients would prefer locally-based services and that peer support was strongly desired.
With the above in mind we set up a support group with funding from Croydon Council and Macmillan Cancer Support. From this work we learnt that whilst there is a need for support for black cancer patients, support groups may not be the most appealing method of supporting black patients. It is possible that a structured course with time for discussion and social activities would be a more effective way to support patients. We will explore this further.
You can read a summary of our cancer support group project here
Funders:
Croydon Council
Macmillan Cancer Support
Date:
January, 2014
Categories:
NCDs
Tags:
Cancer
“I found the session to be very useful and I am so glad that I came. I was feeling very down
and really wasn’t going to attend but I am glad that Abi called me and picked me up. Hazel
was very insightful and had a lot of meaningful things to say. She gave me a lot to think
about.”– Cancer Support Group Member
