How to become a patient partner
Hear about the cancer experiences of some of our patients. These stories are all from local residents who have accessed our cancer services. A big thank you to everyone for sharing their story with us.
If you have a story you would like to share, please contact us.
Hi. My name is Michelle. I am married and live with my husband and 2 boys. I had breast cancer in November 2022. I am a patient partner and work part-time as a practice nurse. I have been involved in the endocrine treatment side effect and I was interviewed as part of the e-learning cancer module for staff, a participant volunteer for new research project under Dr Ruth.
Hello, I’m Dave. As you’ll see from the stories of other contributors, there are so many paths to becoming a patient partner with SELCA! My journey to patient partnership has been a bit of a rollercoaster, with some lucky encounters along the way. Now that I’ve had a chance to reflect on where I thought I started, I’ve realised that there was also a bit of context that shaped my personal experience with cancer. That experience and the journey that followed, with a few twists and turns, led me to become a patient partner with SELCA.
My personal journey to SELCA started with a really sharp turn in my life – like a skid on black ice. It was the diagnosis of bladder cancer in March 2019, just two months before my 70th birthday.
Well, after living a “new normal” life for a while and doing a lot of thinking, I decided I wanted to give back to the NHS and all those amazing people who saved my life with their quick thinking and bravery during the pandemic. I wanted to do something—anything, no matter how small—to make a difference. First, I reached out to Fight Bladder Cancer (FBC) Charity and asked about volunteering. I know the word “fight” in their name has been a bit of a hot topic, but it really resonated with how I felt. Because of that, they asked me to become a Patient Advocate, and that’s where SELCA comes in!
My SELCA involvement To achieve its goals, SELCA has created a bunch of collaborative projects aimed at helping people affected by cancer. As a Patient Partner, I’ve been asked to join groups of Patient Partners and healthcare professionals who are working on these projects.
Finally… I’m told that Patient Partners are super important to SELCA because they help ensure that the voices of those affected by cancer are heard and considered when developing and maintaining cancerrelated services. People who receive person-centred services have popularised the motto “Nothing about us without us.” That’s exactly how SELCA sees things, and as a Patient Partner, I’m so proud to be part of making that happen!
My name is Sandra and I am very pleased to have joined SELCA as a patient partner representing LGT. My cancer diagnosis, and subsequent treatment gave me an insight into then need for patient experiences to be articulated and shared. It has been a pleasure to be part of group where ideas and views can be exchanged openly and in the knowledge that some action will follow. For example, we have recently worked on producing a 'must have' list to support work to improve patient waiting areas.. I am very proud to have worked alongside other patient partners and SELCA staff to commission 15 incredible pieces of artwork that will, over the next few weeks, change and enhance cancer waiting areas across the 3 Trusts. This has been a fantastic example of co-production where patients, staff and a highly gifted group of MA artists have created a lasting legacy that everyone visiting or working in the hospitals can enjoy.
Hello. My name is Clare and I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016. In 2020 I became involved with SELCA as a patient partner. Since then I’ve had the chance to share my story through video projects like Early Diagnosis Breast Screening and Top Tips for Virtual Consultations, and to take part in patient involvement events where experiences like mine help shape more personalised cancer care. Collaborating with SELCA has been so much more than just contributing — it has been supportive, inspiring, and rewarding. It has given me a voice, reminded me that my experience matters, and connected me with others who understand what it means to live through cancer. I’ve found strength in supporting others and in knowing that together we can influence care for the future. I would encourage anyone with lived experience to consider getting involved — your story can make a difference
I'm Julia and was diagnosed with stage iv lung cancer back in 2016 at the age of 45. It is a non-smoking lung cancer that is caused by a gene mutation that predominantly affects younger women. I was at an Everybreath lung cancer support group when I first heard of SELCA, two representatives came along to do a talk on what they do, and I signed up on the day. I liked what they were trying to achieve and I wanted to make a difference. It doesn't really take up much of my time and I really enjoy doing it, I've been a patient rep for around 4 years now. The first project I was involved with was trying to consolidate appointments as it can be very stressful in the beginning when they're spread over different days. It was trialed and is now in practice. We've helped with letters that go to patients, making them more reader friendly. The biggest project I've been involved with is the targeted lung check. If you're a smoker over 60, you're invited to a mobile unit for a ct scan and health check. This has been such a success and has picked up many early diagnosis. We were really listened to and our suggestions were taken on board. I felt proud when I saw an advert on a bus that I had put forward. I have since joined other groups including early diagnosis of lung cancer plus with mixed cancer groups such as improving waiting experiences in outpatients. We are also treated to an annual partner event that is also very enjoyable. My cancer spread to my brain in 2024 and I was out of action for quite a while. There was no pressure or expectations, I just filtered back in when I was ready.
My name is Jon and I have been a patient at Guys being treated for bladder cancer. After the initial shock and fear I was treated with compassion and care by the amazing team in urology. I hope I was appreciative but really wanted to 'give back' in some way. That is why I became a Patient Partner'. I wanted to support the professional staff by helping their understanding of how we behave as patients and visa versa! It has been fascinating and I hope our insights have helped staff and patients improve the service even further. My favourite work has been around improving the waiting room experience. We need to make it friendlier and more understandable
My name is Julien de Charentenay. I am a patient-partner with SELCA. I was diagnosed with Tonsil cancer in 2020 and had combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy. - why you decided to join SELCA as a patient partner I joined SELCA as a patient partner as a way to contribute back to the institution and teams that looked after me throughout cancer diagnosis, treatment and post-treatment. This is also an opportunity to share my experience - in the event it can help someone - as well as offering a patient perspective to discussion with the medical teams. highlights of the projects you have been involved in during your time with SELCA, I started my involvement with a PPI group focused on Head and Neck cancer (of which tonsil cancer is one type) and extended this involvement with the wider SELCA patient partner community with in particular the annual review of national cancer patient experience survey and priority setting. One of the highlight has been taking part in the development of a training module for psychosocial support as well as providing PPI support to research and research proposals.