Improving health equity for people living with cancer and blood disorders

Bristol Myers Squibb has awarded the Patients Association a grant to research how to advance health equity in the UK.

The project will focus on at-risk communities living with cancer and blood disorders. We will explore how to reduce health disparities and improve access to quality care for at-risk communities by bridging the gap between social care and healthcare. Health disparities are defined as “unfair, avoidable, and systematic differences in health between different groups of people”.

The Patients Association will hold virtual focus groups on July 3rd, and in October and December - the dates for these two sessions have not been decided yet. We are seeking patients (and carers) living with cancer and/or blood disorders to take part. Following each focus group, patient participants will receive an £80 voucher, and carer participants will receive a £60 voucher to thank them for their time. You must be available to participate in all three focus groups.

The July focus group will focus on what barriers patients from at-risk communities typically face when trying to access or receive care and treatment for cancer and blood disorders. For example, lack of transportation, lack of access to health and social care staff that speak your primary language, lack of accommodations for persons with physical disabilities, or discrimination. The July focus group will also discuss ‘social determinants of health’, which are non-medical factors that influence health outcomes (for example limited access to healthy foods, unstable housing, or living in a neighbourhood with limited resources).

Please click the button below to learn more about the project and to register your interest. As spaces are very limited, we apologise in advance if you are not selected to participate.