Peer Support in Head and Neck Cancer
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Peer to Peer Support for People with Head and Neck Cancer
IRAS ID
341180
Contact name
Peter Fisher
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Liverpool
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 31 days
Research summary
We aim to improve support services for people diagnosed with head and neck cancer (HNC). The number of people treated for HNC is increasing. About a third have anxiety or depression (also known as emotional distress) which is bad enough to require professional support. Emotional distress reduces quality of life and can make living with symptoms of HNC worse. Many have long-term and complex difficulties with altered appearance, speaking, eating, and drinking difficulties, leaving them very isolated.
Some people with HNC do not wish to engage with professional services to help reduce emotional distress. A wider range of care and support must be available. Peer support is one option; it involves people with a similar condition providing social, emotional, or practical support to others. This form of support has been beneficial in other cancer groups. Peer support could improve mental health, provide access to help closer to home and reduce healthcare use. Little is known about the best way to set up a peer support service. Multiple perspectives are required including HNC patients, local and national healthcare providers, social care providers, and cancer charities. Developing a better understanding of how to design and organise a peer support service is the primary aim of this project
How will we do this?
There are two main parts to our work, occurring over 16-months within North-West England. First, we will gain ideas from patients and people working in healthcare. Interviews will highlight issues and attitudes towards the development and implementation of a peer support service. We will recruit from places with high poverty, diverse ethnicity, and varying distance from specialist cancer centres. We will conduct three workshops with patients, healthcare and social care staff, and cancer charities, to put all the information together and develop a peer support intervention for future testing.
REC name
West of Scotland REC 3
REC reference
25/WS/0129
Date of REC Opinion
4 Sep 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion