Volunteer

It is acknowledged that the delivery of effective cancer services must by informed by the experiences of patients who have or have had cancer, and their carers. To ensure that we capture the experiences of people affected by cancer, the Essex Cancer Network supports Locality User Groups in Basildon, Southend, Mid Essex, and N E Essex and at St Helena Hospice. Membership of these groups is open to any patient, carer or family member from the area.

The Network also supports Network Site Specific Groups (NSSG) which relate to specific tumour sites. These groups are usually chaired by clinician and include a range of healthcare professionals who have expertise in the specific tumour site. The object of the group is to improve the services for the relevant cancer type and to ensure that all patients across the Network receive the same high care of service. In addition there are several Network Cross Cutting Groups which cover topics which deal with the treatment of several Tumour sites (e.g. Medicine Management, Radiotherapy etc.).

The role of the Patient / Carer representative on the NSSG/NCCG is to ensure that the professionals are aware of the reality of patient and carer experiences and use these experiences to inform their decisions about the development and delivery of services in the future. 

If you have been affected by Cancer and would be interested in joining any of these groups please complete the form (click here) and return to the Essex Cancer Network.