Formal training for volunteers to
help cancer patients self-manage
QMU is involved in a ground-breaking partnership which will
see people affected by cancer go through formal training to
support other patients embarking on treatment.
I
N COLLABORATION WITH NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
and Macmillan Cancer Support, QMU is establishing the
Scottish Macmillan Centre for Supported Self-Management.
The £538k project, which will be the first of its kind, will train
volunteers who have personal experience of battling cancer,
to help others who are fighting the disease.
Health experts from QMU will provide the volunteers, known
as the Macmillan Supporters, with formal training which will
equip them to effectively support patients embarking on
cancer treatment. In the initial pilot project, the Macmillan
Supporters will provide patients with support on nutritional
care with plans to extend training to other areas such as
survivorship and rehabilitation, as well as guidance on going
through radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Cancer patients
would be matched with a volunteer who has experience of a
similar type of cancer and is from a similar background.
The project fits well with much of QMU’s health research work
which focuses on the effectiveness of patient-centred care and
rehabilitation. This approach, which is now being more broadly
embraced by the NHS, encourages and empowers patients
to take more control of their treatment potentially freeing up
staff time and resources to concentrate on the more complex
cancer cases.
Rosemary Richardson, Honorary Professor of Dietetics at
the School of Health Sciences at QMU, is leading the project.
She explained: “Cancer is still one of Scotland’s biggest killers
with 28,600 new cases each year. One in three Scots will
be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, so it is essential
that organisations work together to look at ways in which
patients can be treated more successfully within the confines
of limited financial resources. By training people to become
accredited Macmillan Supporters, we can appropriately help
cancer patients take control of their care.”
She continued: “The wonderful thing about this project is that
it provides patients with the opportunity to speak to someone
The facts:
• Normally volunteers must have gone through cancer
treatment themselves.
• All volunteers will receive around eight hours of
training from QMU.
• The majority of contact between the Macmillan
Supporter and patient will be by phone.
who has been there – someone who has gone through a
similar experience. Sometimes, people appreciate having the
chance to hear from someone who has had cancer themselves
and learn how they tackled every day issues, rather than just
speaking to medical experts. Having someone to confide in, on
a more supportive and casual basis, can also help with feelings
of isolation which can occur following a diagnosis of cancer.”
Professor Isobel Davidson, QMU’s principal investigator on
the project, said: “Much of the research carried out at QMU
is demonstrating that, with less severe cases, it is a positive
and cost effective move for patients themselves to direct
their own care while remaining in the community, rather than
being in hospital. By providing access to a responsible and
knowledgeable support network - the Macmillan Supporters
– patients can be easily equipped with the information and
support they need to manage their health and lifestyle. It
puts them in the driving seat by providing a feeling of control.
However, in order to achieve these outcomes, it is critical to
ensure the quality of training provided to the volunteers.”
The University’s role in the project is to define the quality
assurance mechanism for the Macmillan Supporters
programme and deliver the training. The first model for
development will focus on generic and nutrition training. This
model can then be adopted in other related cancer areas
such as concomitant radio/chemotherapy or vocational
rehabilitation. The University team involved in the development
of the training believes that there is significant potential for
transferring this model to assist other groups of people
suffering from long term conditions such as diabetes.
Alan Gilloran, Vice Principal (Academic) at QMU, concluded:
“This is an excellent example of the relevance of QMU’s
important work in the area of health and rehabilitation and
our commitment to working on projects which make a real
practical impact on people’s everyday lives.”
• Personal contact is possible if both the patient and
volunteer want to extend the support beyond a
telephone conversation.
• The aim is for volunteers to share experiences in a
helpful way, not to provide medical advice.
QMYOU / Health & Rehabilitation
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