Building Effective Cancer Support Services in Ireland

It is well recognised that the voluntary sector in Ireland has to date been the mainstay in the provision of supportive care for cancer patients in the community enabling patients to deal with the emotional and practical challenges of the disease and the Irish Cancer Society has played a lead role in the provision of this care.

In this regard the Strategy for Cancer Control in Ireland recommended that the Society develop a code of practice for cancer support services and become an umbrella group for community based services. In response to this recommendation, the Society sought and was awarded a grant from the Community Foundation of Ireland, Pfizer Global Health Partnerships and Pfizer Ireland to assist with the commencement of the project. As part of our commitment to the funders of the "Building Effective Cancer Support Services in Ireland" project, we engaged Dr. Pamela Gallagher from DCU School of Nursing to conduct an independent evaluation of the affiliation programme.  This evaluation focuses on the first three years of the project (2008 – 2011) and includes both qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Affiliated services, non-affiliated services and our stakeholders were included in the study.  We are delighted with the outcome of the evaluation – it is an excellent endorsement of our work to date and gives us comprehensive information about practical steps we can take going forward to ensure the long term success of the affiliation programme. Please find Dr. Gallagher attached below. If you have any comments or questions about the evaluation, please contact Dorothy on dthomas@irishcancer.ie or 01 231 0596.