Living With and Beyond Cancer

Living With and Beyond Cancer is organized by The Royal Marsden School and will be held from Apr 10 - May 15, 2025.

Course Summary:

Macmillan Cancer Support (2021) estimates that almost 3 million people are living with cancer in the UK and predict this number will rise to nearly 3.5 million by 2025, and 4 million by 2030. This relates to increasing cancer incidence and developing treatments impacting Quality of Life (QoL) and survival. The NHS response to these dynamics needs to adapt and adjust to this changing landscape.

The?NHS Long Term Plan for Cancer?(2018) aims to respond to the acute and long-term impact of cancer by monitoring impacts and how well people are living after their diagnosis. This includes a wide range of concerns, such as people’s emotional or social wellbeing, finances, and ongoing physical problems, such as tiredness and pain.

This module will provide the opportunity to explore the impact of living with cancer on people affected by cancer (PABC) and to develop strategies to facilitate active participation in their own health care needs.   
This module aims to explore the challenges that living with cancer may have on an individual and those significant to them, and the most effective ways to support them.

Key Topics:

• Socio-political background to management of long-term conditions
• Models and frameworks for service delivery
• Concepts of support, cancer rehabilitation, and survivorship 
• Policy and practice related to self-management
• Quality of life
• Models of behaviour change
• The emotional response to adjustment and living with cancer as a long-term condition
• Health promotion considerations e.g. nutrition, smoking cessation, and physical activity  

Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the module at Level 6 you should be able to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:

• Critically discuss the impact that a diagnosis of cancer may have on an individual and their significant others
• Critically explore the factors which influence successful transition and adjustment to living with cancer
• Discuss the meaning of quality of life in relation to PABC
• Examine the concept of support and its sources and examine the effectiveness of the multi-professional team in empowering educating and supporting PABC
• Appraise the elements of effective self-management approaches PABC

On successful completion of the module at Level 7 you should be able to demonstrate achievement of the following learning outcomes:

• Critically explore the changing perception of cancer in the light of substantially improved survival rates and debate the implications for practice
• Critically explore the theoretical underpinning, evidence, and influences impacting the individuals’ ability to adjust to their experiences of cancer
• Synthesise theoretical literature and research relevant to the quality of life and explore interventions for improving Quality of Life for PABC
• Critically examine the concept of support and its sources and examine the effectiveness of the multi-professional team in empowering and supporting PABC
• Evaluate how PABC are supported through their care transitions by the multi-professional team promoting self- empowerment and supporting self-management, proposing ways in which this might be enhanced with your client group