Demographic characteristics of patients using a fully integrated psychosocial support service for cancer patients

The Oncology Health Service, Kingston Upon Hull, UK, delivers fully integrated psychosocial support and interventions. To assess equity of access in this service, a cross-sectional study of all patients with cancer accessing the service during a 5 day period was carried out. One hundred and forty-five patients attended. Forty four percent were male, and the types of cancer were broadly in the proportions expected on the basis of population prevalence (breast cancer 22%, colorectal cancer 21%, lung cancer 16%). Sixty six percent came from the three most deprived quintiles of the Townsend deprivation Index.The fully integrated Oncology Health Service in Hull is accessed by a more diverse range of patients than previously reported for other services, and is an example of a model of service by which socially equitable use of psychosocial support in the National Health Service might be achieved.Despite major advances in the treatment of cancers, and improvements in supportive and palliative care, the diagnosis and treatment of cancer continue to cause wide-ranging distress to patients and their families. High levels of psychosocial and psychiatric morbidity continue to be widely reported in the United Kingdom in patients with cancer, as well as in their families [1,2]. In addition to impoverishing quality of life, treatment outcome and prognosis may be associated with clinically significant psychological distress [3-5].There are notable socio-economic inequalities in cancer care in the UK; in screening uptake, stage at first presentation, response to treatment and use of psychosocial support services. This is a challenge to cancer care services regarding the effectiveness of psychosocial support services provided for people with cancer and their families.A range of psychosocial support services have been developed in the UK; from services independent of mainstream NHS oncology services, through partially integrated services, to psychosocial support services which are ful