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Patient Information Pathways

Patient InformationThis programme aims to enable anyone affected by cancer to be offered an equal standard of information wherever they receive their treatment and care in Northern Ireland.

It is recognised that healthcare organisations need to provide timely, high quality information on cancer and cancer services throughout the patient's experience.

This information should be delivered sensitively, within a supportive environment, aiming to reduce any unnecessary anxiety and to give each patient the chance to make informed decisions about their healthcare. It should reflect the various places that patients can be treated in, and the various professionals who might offer that treatment.

Regional teams of healthcare professionals work with Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) representatives to identify the information resources currently used for each cancer type. They can then highlight any gaps in information provision. Information pathways can then be agreed and implemented.

The NICaN Patient Information Programme is currently underway for

 
Policy context

In 2004 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) produced guidance on supportive and palliative care for adults with cancer, making specific recommendations around the delivery of patient information.

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety published the Cancer Control Programme in 2006 recommending that (9c) “The Cancer Network … should develop action plans for implementation of recommendations for best practice contained in NICE Guidance on Improving Supportive and Palliative Care for Adults with Cancer (2004) to include… the development of an information strategy to align the information pathway with the care pathway and to include the development of appropriate patient information material.”

If you provide information...

The information pathway is a tool to help you to access quality, consistent information for patients and their carers. The information the person requires will depend on their individual needs and their stage on the care pathway. This information pathway can help you identify and quickly obtain regionally agreed information resources to meet those individual needs in a timely way.

The resources have been identified as offering clear, accurate and well written information. They should be used to complement verbal information rather than replace it. This tool does not preclude you from offering further information but enables equitable provision of a minimum standard across Northern Ireland.
 
Some work is still in progress to develop resources where a need has been identified.
  
► For many of the resources, you are able to view them online. Where this is the case, the resource title is blue and underlined. Click on the title to download the resource.
 
► Where download is not possible, clicking on the title will take you online to where you can see the material in a web format. 
 
► In most cases, you can click on the publisher name to go to their online order form.
 
By making it easy to print and order printed copies, it is hoped that implementing the information pathway will be as easy as possible.
 
Each pathway will be maintained on this website. This will enable those using it to be see most of the featured resources online and to be confident that they are using the most up-to-date version. 
 
Contact:

NICaN Office
Email: nican.office@hscni.net
Telephone: 02890 565860 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            02890 565860      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

 

 

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