As an organisation, funded through charitable donations, Action Cancer must ensure that the services we provide meet the needs of the community and are provided at the highest possible standards. Therefore, it is essential these services are examined for effectiveness, quality and suitability. All Action Cancer services are evaluated in some way, for example:
Therapeutic Services
Action Cancer offers both counselling and complementary therapy to those affected by cancer. Since 2007, these services have been evaluated with the help of our clients who complete a number of questionnaires. Through this evaluation Action Cancer can show that our Therapeutic Services significantly increase the self-reported quality of life of our clients.
Presented at NI Hospice conference: Pushing Boundaries in Palliative & End of Life Care, Oct 2009.
Click here for the presentation
Health Promotion
Our Health Promotion department provide a range of programmes to both children and adults helping increase knowledge and motivation to have a healthy lifestyle. Again these programmes are evaluated to ensure they are effective and are successful. For example, our Health Action programme aims to increase healthy living knowledge and is a four week programme for secondary school aged children. Since 2007, this programme has been evaluated, with the help of participants of the programme, and now Action Cancer can show that the average total knowledge scores of participants significantly increases after participation in Health Action.
Presented at the European Cancer Conference, 2007.
Click here for the abstract
BIG BUS
Action Cancer's unique mobile unit provides access to breast screening and health check services to people all over NI. The evaluation of these services includes the collection of a range of information from those who use these services. One important finding is that a large proportion of those who use the services on the Big Bus report that they wouldn't have attended anywhere else for these services, highlighting the importance of bringing these services to the communities directly.
Presented at the European Cancer conference, 2007 & NI British Psychological Society (NIBPS) Conference 2009.
Click here for the European Cancer conference abstract
Click here for NIBPS conference abstract
Special Clinics
Action Cancer's Special Clinics are breast screening clinics specifically aimed at groups of women who experience barriers to accessing standard breast-screening services. Evaluation of this service shows the majority of groups using this service are those with learning disabilities, although other groups such as the elderly, ethnic minorities and women from rural areas all use this service. Interview data highlighted that many women felt that breast screening would never have taken place at all were it not for this clinic.
Presented at the World Cancer Conference, 2008
Click here for the abstract
and presentation
For more information about the evaluation of services at Action Cancer please contact Caroline Hughes by email chughes@actioncancer.org or by phone on 02890803344.
