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Person Centred Care (Primary)

Person centred care takes into account people’s needs and views and builds relationships with family members.

It recognises that care should be holistic and considers physical, practical, emotional, spiritual and social needs.

It sees patients as equal partners in planning, developing and assessing care to make sure it is most appropriate for their needs.

The Health Foundation, in their guide to person centred care, says that the key components of person centred care are:

  • Treating people with dignity, compassion and respect
  • Personalising care, support or treatment
  • Co-ordinating care, support or treatment
  • Supporting people to recognise and develop their own strengths and abilities to enable them to live an independent and fulfilling life.

People need to be involved in all decisions and plans about their own health care and need to be given information and support to help them make the decisions that are right for them. 

Here are some key ways that primary care teams can better support people living with cancer, using person centred approaches that focus on what matters most to the person and their family.