SUPPORTIVE AND PALLIATIVE CARE (SuPaC) COLLABORATIVES
Our 2002 Strategic Analysis found that research into supportive and palliative care (SuPaC) accounted for only about 4% of direct cancer research expenditure by NCRI partners.The NCRI Strategic Planning Group (SPG) on Supportive & Palliative Care, which published its report in July 2004, found that the research workforce was fragmented and that more collaboration and interdisciplinary working was needed. In response to this, a consortium of NCRI Partners set up a scheme for Supportive and Palliative Care Research Collaboratives, with funding of £5m over 5 years.
Two collaboratives, CECo and COMPASS, were set up in 2006 and awarded £2m each. Bringing together a number of academic groups across the UK the collaboratives have built research capacity and transformed the involvement of consumers in their programmes of work. An example of the latter are the COMPASS masterclasses in consumer involvement in research which were evaluated in Collaborate and Succeed (Full Report & Executive Summary)
A further £1m was awarded during 2006 to support clinical researchers outside the successful Collaboratives, to complement the work of the Collaboratives themselves and to provide a more flexible support mechanism to build capacity in the field. The successful applicants to this Capacity Building Grant (CBG) Scheme are listed on the Marie Curie Cancer Care website. The SuPaC Collaboratives and CBGs were funded by the Department of Health (England), Marie Curie Cancer Care, Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council, and the Economic and Social Research Council.
NCRI lung cancer supportive and palliative care research award
In 2006, the NCRI’s lung cancer SPG identified the need to strengthen research on the supportive and palliative care requirements of lung cancer patients. £2.25m was pledged by NCRI partners to support a call for proposals in research in this area.
The NCRI partners funding this initiative are the Macmillan Cancer Support, Cancer Research UK, Department of Health (England), the Medical Research Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Scottish Government Health Directorate and the Health & Social R&D Office (Northern Ireland). The Partners decided to focus this initiative in two broad areas within which interdisciplinary collaborations were encouraged: symptom management with a focus on improving the patient experience, and studies targeted to assessing the effectiveness of different service models for patients in follow-up.
Marie Curie Cancer Care managed the call and the selection process and administers the Lung Cancer SuPaC awards on behalf of the funding partners. Successful applicants are listed on the Marie Curie Cancer Care website.
