Abstract
The National Cancer Control Programme (NCCP) in Ireland established The Alliance of Community Cancer Support Centres and Services (The Alliance) in 2022 recognising that community cancer support centres (CCSCs) and services fill a substantial gap in cancer care for both patients and families.
Background: Ireland’s current National Cancer Strategy (2017 – 2026) and Psycho-Oncology Model of Care have identified the development of community cancer support services as a key objective. A programmatic and partnership approach is being taken to meet the needs of Irish cancer patients and their families. New and existing cancer support services are being developed and expanded to ensure supports and services are available and accessible nationally. The mission of The Alliance is to progress community-led cancer support and advocate for the development of integrated pathways between CCSCs, acute hospitals, and primary care settings.
Methodology: A number of initiatives to implement and build community cancer support are being used including; needs assessment, developing models of care, coalition building, patient and stakeholder partnership, consultation, and multi-sectoral engagement to utilise existing capacity within the system.
The NCCP sought to standardise practice and build The Alliance with existing CCSCs by developing Best Practice Guidance for CCSCs and a Self-assessment and Peer-review Process. The first Phase is complete with 10 centres achieving Full Membership status. A process evaluation was conducted with results informing on-going implementation. The second Phase has commenced in 2023 with another 8 Associate Members undergoing the process.
Impact on practice: The National Cancer Survivorship Needs Assessment and the Psycho-Oncology Model of Care identified goals and objectives and prioritised actions to facilitate implementation. Examples of impact include; The establishment of the Alliance with 36 partners; representing 21 out of 26 counties in Ireland. The centres welcomed over 7000 new clients in 2022 and provided 18 different survivorship programmes. Two networking events were also held to promote collaboration.
CCSCs now provide activity statistics, which influence funding granted by the NCCP but also monitor the survivorship supports being offered and demonstrate the breadth of services available.
•Members of The Alliance are eligible to deliver NCCP governed survivorship programmes.
•The Alliance devotes resources to develop evidence for potential survivorship interventions and action research is being conducted in CCSCs.
•National network meetings have commenced.
•New client intake and assessment practices in CCSCs have been standardised.
•Referral pathways are being progressed.
Discussion: Working in a partnership model with existing services in statutory, and charity/voluntary sector organisations has extended the provision of psychosocial services available to Irish cancer patients and their families. This model intends to further integrate and support patient pathways recognising that community services are essential for the provision of support across the cancer continuum but in particular the post-treatment survivorship period. This requires the community sector to work closely and integrate with both the acute hospital and primary care services. The Alliance aims to build confidence and assurance among the public, healthcare professionals, and the CCSCs that the services being offered are reaching a recognised standard.