Interested in the types of engagements our staff and Partners work on? Check out some of our past engagements.
Our work with patients and families directly informs how care is designed, delivered, and improved across BC Cancer. Through meaningful partnerships, we ensure services reflect what matters most to the people we serve. We work with patients and families in three ways to ensure a person-centred approach to care:
- Co-design - Patients and families work alongside staff to design or improve services and experiences.
- Partnership - Patients and families actively contribute to initiatives, implementation, and system improvement.
- Input - We gather perspectives through surveys, committees, and conversations to inform decisions.
Co-Designing Supportive Care Services with Patients and Families: Recognizing that quality cancer care extends beyond treatment, engagement with patients and caregivers has shown that supportive care services, such as counselling, nutrition support, and financial navigation, are often not well known or easily accessible. In response, BC Cancer partnered with the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University and patient advisors to better understand access barriers and identify improvements. In 2025, through a survey with over 500 respondents, a series of workshops and validation sessions with patient and family partners, we explored service gaps, awareness, and navigation challenges. This was followed by a second phase to prioritize actionable solutions alongside staff. Insights from this work have informed BC Cancer’s 5-Year Supportive Care Strategic Plan and 3-year roadmap. A detailed report captures the findings and patient perspectives.
Creating a ‘What to Expect’ Video: Co-created with patients, families, and care providers, the “What to Expect” Patient Experience Video Series will produce four short, animated videos (3–4 minutes each) along with PDF companion guides that share key information about BC Cancer services and incorporate real patient stories and advice. These videos are designed to help individuals feel informed, prepared, and supported as they begin their cancer care journey by reducing fear and anxiety, normalizing experiences, and reinforcing BC Cancer’s commitment to compassionate, person-centred, culturally safe, and team-based care.
The Provincial Nurse Line: Survey Dissemination: BC Cancer’s Provincial Nurse Line (PNL), launched in January 2025, provides 24/7 access to expert oncology nursing support across five regional cancer centres, extending care beyond clinic walls. In summer 2025, a survey was conducted, in partnership with patient and family partners, to evaluate its impact and gather feedback to guide improvements. Partners played an active role in supporting on-site engagement at BC Cancer Vancouver and Surrey centres, using their lived experience to foster trust, facilitate conversations, and support survey completion. They also contributed to sharing key insights and themes with the PNL team, strengthening the feedback loop and reinforcing a commitment to co-design and continuous improvement.
The ‘AccessmyHealth’ Patient Portal Launch: AccessMyHealth is a regional patient portal launched on February 4, 2025, for patients across Vancouver Coastal Health, Providence Health Care, and the Provincial Health Services Authority. It enables patients and their delegates to securely access personal health information, including test results, appointments, and care team notes, from any device. This work was carried out in partnership with 17 patient and family partners. Drawing on their lived experience, partners supported the launch and promotion of the portal by building trust, guiding patients in its use, addressing questions, and sharing resources. They also contributed to ongoing improvement by tracking engagement, identifying follow-up needs, and sharing insights to strengthen future outreach and patient education.
Regional Patient Experience Committees (RPECs): Regional Patient Experience Committees (RPECs) support the integration of patient and family perspectives into care planning and decision-making across BC Cancer regional centres, strengthening best practices in patient experience, engagement, and education.
Team Based Care: High-quality cancer care extends beyond clinical treatment and requires coordinated, multidisciplinary teams that respond to the needs of patients and the people who support them, including caregivers, partners, children, and close friends. In support of BC Cancer’s Team-Based Care (TBC) strategy, patient and family partners have joined committees at pilot centres in Surrey and Victoria to bring lived experience into planning and decision-making. Across both sites, partners are helping shape a more coordinated and person-centred model of care grounded in patient and family experience.
