Personalised care Resources

There are three million people living with cancer in the UK, which is predicted to rise to nearly 3.5 million by 2025 (Macmillan Cancer Support, 2024). The GP Contract (NHSE Contract Letter 2024/25) has protected the cancer indicators in the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF), which are that every person should be offered an opportunity to discuss their diagnosis and be informed of the support available to them from primary care within three months of diagnosis, and a structured cancer care review should be offered within twelve months of diagnosis. General practice nurses (GPNs) already have expertise in long-term condition management and could deliver the same for people living with cancer, but
most do not feel confident to do so. This article includes the author’s personal reflections on her role and the development of personalised care within primary care.

Increasing cancer survival rates and evolving models of care require primary care teams to adapt their practice to meet the needs of people after a cancer diagnosis and completion of treatment. The needs of people after a cancer diagnosis are often complex and require a person-centred, holistic model of care. The ‘NHS Long Term Plan’ sets out the ethos of
personalised care for those living with long-term conditions (LTCs), including cancer. Interventions to support personalised care include cancer care reviews (CCR) in primary care. Recent Quality Outcome Framework guidance for CCR has aimed to personalise the intervention to improve patient experience. General practice nurses (GPNs) are well placed to deliver CCR but need access to education to feel confident and develop competence in this area. There are several resources that have been developed to support CCR as a personalised care intervention. These interventions need further evaluation to assess their impact on patient experience and outcomes.