Focusing on service users' perspectives, this research project had the following objectives

To identify and document patient and main informal carer psychosocial needs, and to consider how patients and carers believe these could best be met.

To explore patient and main informal carer experiences of specialist cancer services, with particular reference to psychosocial needs.

To examine service providers' perspectives on the nature of current service provision and its adequacy in meeting the psychosocial needs of patients and their main carers.

To identify examples of 'good practice' in meeting psychosocial need from the perspective of both patients/carers and service providers.

It is helpful to express these objectives as research questions:

What are patient and carer psychosocial needs?

Which needs are most prevalent?

Who has what needs? How, if at all, do needs differ among patients and carers in relation to clinical and social characteristics?

Are patients' and carers' needs being met?

What can patients' and carers' experiences tell us about how needs could best be met?

What are health professionals' perspectives on these needs and whether they are being met?

Grant Holders: Carol Thomas, Sara Morris, Keith Soothill, Brian Francis (Centre for Applied Statistics), Malcolm McIllmurray (Morecambe Bay Hospitals Trust), Frank Ledwith (St Martins College, Lancaster)

Publications/Outputs: Final Report