Evaluation of the UCLH-Macmillan Partnership to deliver improvements in the care, treatment, support, and information to patients with cancer throughout their individual journeys

Evaluation of the UCLH-Macmillan Partnership to deliver improvements in the care, treatment, support, and information to patients with cancer throughout their individual journeys RAND Europe is an independent, not-for-profit policy research organisation that aims to improve policy and decisionmaking in the public interest through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means (including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval) without permission in writing from the sponsor. Cancer Support entered into a partnership to deliver a programme that aims to provide 'the best care, treatment, support, and information to patients at every stage of their individual journey'. This partnership formally launched in April 2012. take an explicit whole systems approach, with a particular focus on the ability of the partnership to enhance care coordination at transition points along the cancer care pathway. 2015. It focuses specifically on the workings of the partnership and aims to identify and analyse the views of stakeholders, including staff and volunteers, on how well the partnership is working, how it has changed attitudes and ways of working, and the approach of leaders within the partnership. It follows, and where appropriate builds on, a previous evaluation, completed by the same team in July 2013. However, the current evaluation – and this report – is a stand-alone piece of research. It formulates research recommendations intended to aid UCLH and Macmillan Cancer Support by contributing to learning within the partnership to support future decision making. The report also contributes to a wider understanding of partnership working. RAND Europe is an independent not-for-profit policy research organisation that aims to improve policy and decision making in the public interest, through rigorous research and analysis. RAND Europe's clients include European governments, institutions, NGOs and firms with a need for rigorous, independent, multidisciplinary analysis. This document has been peer-reviewed in accordance with RAND's quality assurance standards. Abstract The University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Trust–Macmillan Cancer Support partnership is intended to improve the experiences of carers and of patients with cancer by improving the whole journey, from diagnosis through to palliation, and to embed this in a system that actively engages patients and carers in decision making at each step. Key changes introduced as a result of the partnership include a support and …