Macmillan Luton cancer community connectors
We welcome your ideas and invitations to attend your community events, have our say in shaping tomorrow’s cancer services for your community.
- You can connect with us via email and we'll get in touch with you
Working with you - to improve cancer services in Luton
By capturing your experience of Luton’s cancer services, this valuable information will be used to tailor cancer services to meet the needs of Luton’s diverse communities. What you have to say counts.
A better experience of cancer services for you, means more people using the services and better outcomes for our communities.
The Macmillan Luton Cancer Engagement Project (2022-2025)
This exciting collaborative project with Macmillan Cancer, Luton Council and key stakeholders identified a need for proactive, collaborative engagement to level the playing field when it comes to cancer care in Luton. The project seeks to identify the barriers to improved outcomes for those communities affected.
We are thrilled to work directly with the community to learn more about your experience of cancer services. By amplifying your voice, this research evidence will be used to inform and enhance patient services for Luton’s most affected communities.
What you have to say matter and can influence change.
What this means for you
This is an opportunity for you, as a Luton resident to:
- have your voice heard and share your cancer-related experiences
- to collaborate in shaping how cancer services will look for these communities going forward
- to work with key stakeholders in Public health Macmillan Cancer, Luton Council, Bedfordshire Luton and Milton Keynes CCG, NHS England, Public Health England, East of England Cancer Alliance, Healthwatch, we are Macmillan Cancer Support
You could become a cancer champion support the project and cancer connectors in engaging with your community
Watch more videos on the Macmillan Cancer Support YouTube channel
Cancer Champions
The Macmillan Luton Cancer Engagement Project (2022 to 25),was initiated as a result of the (NHS England and BLMK ICS) Luton Cancer Outcomes Collaborative Project Report (2021), which identified a need for an increase in engagement and perspectives from the Luton community to identify barriers to improved outcomes.
The (Luton) communities identified in this regard are:
- Black African/Black Caribbean
- Eastern European
- South Asian
To support the work of the project and the Cancer Community Connectors we are developing a Cancer Champions network.
Aims and objectives of Cancer Champions
- To support the (Cancer) Community Connectors in engagement and awareness activities in relation to the project.
- Promote the project and the Community Connectors.
- To feedback to the Community Connectors, the Project Management Team and/or the project’s stakeholders and partners, with data and information gathered from residents and patients relating to the project’s objectives of improving, implementing or maintaining cancer services for the targeted (lesser heard) communities.
- To act as community representatives, where applicable and required, on management and/or board meeting discussions and/or decisions.
- Work in partnership with management, stakeholders and sponsors in delivering the project outcomes – primarily to improve cancer services in Luton for the targeted communities.
- Support and signpost patients and residents to relevant services and partners related to the project.
Applications to become a (Macmillan Luton) Cancer Champion will be open to all (aged 16+) who express an interest via the advertised recruitment campaign.
Each Cancer Champion will be assigned to one of the three community groups the project is linked to (Black African/Black Caribbean, Eastern European and South Asian). However, there will opportunities and expectation of collaborative work among the champions.
The Cancer Champion role is voluntary. This is a flexible role that can fit around the cancer champions’ other commitments. Champions can choose how much time spent and their level of involvement in the project.
There are no qualifications required for this role – training and support will be provided.
Skills required include:
- your life experience, both personal and professional will be of extreme value to this role
- good interpersonal skills with ability to communicate to a range of different people
- good team working skills
- adaptability
If you are interested in becoming a Cancer Champion or want to find out more about the role, please contact the team at [email protected]
Hear me events
The hear me event is an opportunity to learn more about cancer and how it particularly affects the Black African and Black Caribbean, Eastern European and South Asian communities.
The events will include speakers, activities; opportunities to network and share your experiences of cancer services in Luton. We want to learn more about what a good cancer service in Luton should look like.
Let us look through your eyes and understand your lived experience. Your experiences can shape cancer services for your community in Luton.
We will ensure that your cancer experience is captured in an environment where you feel supported and your confidentiality respected.
Would you like to bring a mini hear me event to your community gathering? Talk to us and let’s make it happen.
Email: [email protected]
Please join us for the following event.
FAQ's
The research, or evidence gathering of lived experiences, is necessary for us public health to understand the current service user experience. We are trying to establish where the issues along the cancer pathway, i.e. what needs to be addressed, what is working well.
From prevention right through to diagnosis, treatment, and post-treatment. Raising cancer awareness will also progress alongside the research.
A listening event will provide the connectors with information, specific data that will be fed back to the project’s stakeholders, who will then be tasked with putting support and services in place to meet the community’s/residents/patients’ needs.
Information from these events will form a significant part of the project’s recommendations to the stakeholders and will include the requirement that a committed ‘here’s what we will do’ report be produced, that will be transparent and available to the residents, patients and communities, and to which the stakeholders will be accountable.
We know that for some there will be emotional and mental pain in sharing their cancer story. We have already identified the need for support networks in relation to the outcomes of the conversations/discussions with the connectors.
We are working in collaboration with partners who can provide support for health and wellbeing. These services are either Luton-based or in the BLMK, or East of England demographic.
Any data gathering will follow strict GDPR guidelines. Information gathered will only be used for the purpose of the project and will not be held any longer than is required.
The connectors will work in line with requirements of the Equality Act. Anonymity will be applied unless express permission is granted otherwise. i.e. should someone agree to share their lived-experience at an event.