
Community Research Trans+ Project: Trans Aware Cancer Care
In 2023, a joint bid was submitted to National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to deliver a project using a Community Research model. This project focuses on trans+ people who experience inequity and inaccessibility in cancer services. The project is being led by Help & Care alongside partners Macmillan Cancer Support, Beyond Reflections, Bournemouth University, Southampton University Hospital, Wessex Cancer Trust and Wessex Cancer Alliance.
Through the project, we will also be engaging with a wide group of cancer service professionals to develop a shared understanding of how cancer inequalities manifest for trans+ people. Our aim is to raise the level of ambition around eradicating cancer inequalities and develop a commitment to act on the solutions our research creates.
To lead the work, we have recruited, with the support of Beyond Reflections, 4 trans+ community researchers, who will be mentored by Bournemouth University and supported in their cancer understanding through a clinical nurse specialist. The community researchers will be leading discussions and arts-based workshops with trans+ people who have cancer service experiences and will support them through the process of generating solutions that would address challenges that they faced.
The community researchers will then refine the solutions with service providers and commissioners in the NHS and voluntary sector to create actionable goals for change within cancer care and support services.
If you are a Trans+ adult and would like to get involved in the project, you can: