Interested in the work our staff and partners do? Explore some of our past projects.
Patients and families help shape how BC Cancer designs, delivers and improves care. By working closely with them, we make sure our services reflect what matters most to the people we serve.
We work with patients and families in three ways:
- Co-design - Patients and families work with staff to design or improve services and care experiences
- Partnership - Patients and families actively help plan, implement and improve programs and services
- Input - We gather feedback through surveys, committees and conversations to help guide decisions
Hiugh-quality cancer care includes more than treatment. Patients and caregivers have told us that supportive care services - such as counselling, nutrition support, and financial navigation - can be difficult to find or access.
To better understand these challenges, BC Cancer partnered with the Health Design Lab at Emily Carr University and patient advisors. In 2025, more than 500 people completed a survey, and patients, families and staff took part in workshops and feedback sessions. Together, they identified service gaps, awareness issues and navigation challenges.
In the next phase, patients, families and staff worked together to identify practical solutions. The findings helped inform BC Cancer’s five-year Supportive Care Strategic Plan and three-year roadmap. A detailed report summarizes the findings and patient perspectives.
BC Cancer is co-creating a 'What to Expect' video series with patients, families and care providers. The series includes four short animated videos and companion PDF guides.
The videos share key information about BC Cancer services and include real patient stories and advice. They are designed to help people feel informed, prepared and supported as they begin cancer care. The videos aim to reduce anxiety, normalize experiences, and highlight BC Cancer’s commitment to compassionate, person-centred, culturally safe and team-based care.
BC Cancer launched the Provincial Nurse Line in January 2025. The service gives patients 24/7 access to expert oncology nursing support across five regional cancer centres.
In summer 2025, BC Cancer worked with patient and family partners to conduct a survey and gather feedback. Partners helped engage patients at the Vancouver and Surrey cancer centres, encouraged participation, and supported survey completion.
They also helped share key findings with the Provincial Nurse Line team, supporting ongoing improvements and strengthening BC Cancer's commitment to co-design.
AccessMyHealth launched on February 4, 2025, for patients receiving care through Vancouver Coastal Health, Providence Health Care, and the Provincial Health Services Authority.
The secure online portal allows patients and their delegates to access personal health information, including appointments, test results and care team notes.
Seventeen patient and family partners helped support the launch. Drawing on their lived experience, they helped patients learn to use the portal, answered questions, shared resources, and promoted its benefits. They also provided feedback and insights to help improve future outreach and patient education.
Regional patient experience committees (RPECs) help bring patient and family perspectives into care planning and decision-making at BC Cancer centres across the province. Their work supports best practices in patient experience, engagement and education.
High-quality cancer care requires coordinated teams that support patients and the people who care for them, including caregivers, partners, children and close friends.
As part of BC Cancer’s Team-based Care strategy, patient and family partners serve on committees at pilot sites in Surrey and Victoria. They bring their lived experiences to planning and decision-making and help shape a more coordinated, person-centred approach to care.
