Edinburgh Napier University

  Supporting People with Individual Budgets Project was funded by Macmillan Cancer Support Transforming Care after Treatment Programme. It aimed to combine motivational planning sessions with an individual budget of £250 to support people after treatment. Three weekly individual or group sessions of 90 minutes and final “review” session after 6 months were held. Sessions focussed on “moving forward”, positive change, and recognising patients as experts in their recovery.

43 adults took part (34 female/9 male), 62% under 60 and 50% live in an area of high multiple deprivation (SIMD 1 and 2) and 43% were employed.

Pre intervention (Time 1) SWEMWEBS scores ranged from 14 to 31, with a mean of 22. Post intervention (Time 2) SWEMWEBS score ranged from 18 to 35, with a mean of 26.88.

27 out of 43 participants were interviewed. Thematic analysis of patient interview transcripts identified three key themes—“having a purpose,” “feeling valued,” and a “catalysis to recovery and feeling (a new) normal.” Participants contrasted their experience of this “motivational, moving forward” intervention with other support they had attended, which we have termed as being limited to “a hanky and a leaflet.”

This project demonstrates the value of embedding discussion and planning into the support of people affected by cancer and also raises the need to investigate further how the more intangible psycho social aspects of survivorship could be approached in the future The provision of more tangible, practical platforms of supporting self‐management such as individual budgets have potential.