The Scottish Government has announced that it will be investing a further £9 million into a partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support, to help support cancer patients and their families with the financial, emotional and physical health effects of the disease.
Through the Transforming Cancer Care Programme, the partnership aims to ensure access to a specialist key worker by everyone affected by cancer in Scotland; to see a holistic needs assessment completed and a care plan generated to meet unidentified needs; for local community assets to be utilised to support the service user; and for follow-up to be made with the service user to monitor progress and agree actions.
£18 million has been invested since the programme’s inception under the 2016 Cancer Strategy, and it is anticipated that access to the service will increase over the next three years.
Speaking on behalf of Macmillan Cancer Support in Scotland, Janice Preston, head of partnerships, said: “This is a unique service for people affected by cancer that helps to reduce pressure on the NHS and is making a really positive difference to people living with cancer and their families. Since 2014, these vital, non-medical services have already helped over 18,500 people and this money will mean they can keep on transforming cancer support across Scotland.”
In other news relating to cancer research in Scotland, earlier this year we covered how scientists at the University of Glasgow received £1.7 million in funding from Cancer Research UK, with focus on exploring what causes cancer cells to grow and form tumours and the exploration of new strategies on how to overcome cancers which are resistant to radiotherapy.
