Supportive care and rehabilitation encompasses ‘the essential services to meet the physical, emotional, nutritional, informational, psychological, sexual, spiritual, and practical needs throughout a person’s experience with cancer’. Evidence shows that when people experiencing cancer receive good social, psychological, and cultural support, their quality of life improves.
It is important that this guidance reflects up-to-the-minute evidence and covers all the relevant issues relating to supportive care for people affected by cancer in New Zealand. It is also important that the objectives and recommendations are appropriate for the sector, as these will be the drivers for action when implementing the guidance. We also seek a steer on priority recommendations, so we can get a clear picture of what needs to happen, now.
Purpose
The aim of this draft guidance document is to improve the quality of life for people affected by cancer, by improving access to and quality of supportive care in New Zealand. The document provides clear objectives based on the best evidence and suggests best practice service approaches that will service to ensure that adults with cancer, their families/whānau have access to essential support and rehabilitative care they may require throughout the various stages of cancer, from diagnosis onwards