Internal Reference Number: FOI_9359
Date Request Received: 23/04/2026 00:00:00
Date Request Replied To: 05/05/2026 00:00:00
This response was sent via: By Email
Request Summary: Post-treatment mental health support for cancer patients
Request Category: Companies
| Question Number 1: Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I would like to request the following information. For the purposes of this request: 鈥� 鈥淎fter treatment鈥� refers to the period within 12 months following the completion of primary cancer treatment. 鈥� 鈥淢ental health or psychological support鈥� includes services provided directly by the Trust or via commissioned partners (e.g. NHS Talking Therapies/IAPT, psycho-oncology services, counselling, or support groups). 鈥� Please include all adult (18+) cancer patients under the care of the Trust. 鈥� Unless otherwise stated, all questions refer to the 12-month period from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. 鈥� If data is not available for this exact period, please provide the closest available 12-month period and specify the dates. Please provide the following: Provision of support Does your Trust provide any dedicated mental health or psychological support specifically for adult cancer patients after the completion of primary treatment? 鈥� Please answer yes or no 鈥� If no, please confirm whether patients are routinely referred to external services | |
| Answer To Question 1: YES. Patients under Salisbury Hospital who are experiencing psychological difficulties linked to their cancer diagnosis and/or treatment can be referred to the Clinical Health Psychology Team for an assessment and subsequent support. | |
| Question Number 2: Nature of support If yes, please provide a brief description of the types of support available (e.g. counselling, psychological therapy, support groups, referral pathways) | |
| Answer To Question 2: 鈥� All clinical teams in cancer pathways are trained in L1 (advanced communication skills) and L2 (assessment of distress/evidence-based low-intensity psychological interventions) psychological care. 鈥� All CNSs are offered psychology supervision in L2 care, from our psychology team. 鈥� L2 care includes a rolling 6-week wellbeing group programme, co-delivered between psychology and therapies team (incl. specialist exercise instructor). 鈥� L2 care also includes webinars on sleep, cancer-related anxiety, cancer-related fatigue, low mood, worry, and problem solving 鈥� pre-recorded and available on SFT cancer support YouTube channel. 鈥� L3/4 care is provided by the psychology department, which includes psychologists, counsellors, and therapists. L3/4 care can be 1:1 with patients, family members/loved ones, or with couples/families. 鈥� Complex mental health conditions may be referred on to specialist community mental health services. | |
| Question Number 3: Duration of support Please indicate whether support is: 鈥� Time limited (please specify typical duration) 鈥� Ongoing/needs-based 鈥� Not formally defined | |
| Answer To Question 3: 鈥� Wellbeing group runs for six weeks. 鈥� L3/4 is six sessions initially, then review, with potential to extend to 12 sessions total. | |
| Question Number 4: Aftercare pathways Does your Trust have a formal survivorship or aftercare pathway for cancer patients that includes mental health or psychological support? 鈥� Please answer yes or no 鈥� If yes, please provide a brief description | |
| Answer To Question 4: The Trust do not have anything further in place beyond which has been outlined in the other responses . | |
| Question Number 5: Referrals to mental health services Please provide the total number of adult cancer patients referred to mental health or psychological services in the period specified. 鈥� If exact figures are not available, please provide the closest available proxy measure (e.g. referrals to psycho-oncology services, NHS Talking Therapies referrals from oncology, or equivalent) | |
| Answer To Question 5: 鈥� The psychology department received 207 referrals for cancer patients and 21 referrals for family members in the period specified. 鈥� The department also received 68 referrals for pre risk-reducing surgery psychology assessments (for patients under the Wessex Genetics service - work funded by the Wessex Cancer Alliance). 鈥� We do not have figures on the total number referred to psychology or mental health services external to the hospital. | |
| Question Number 6: (If available) Timing of referrals If recorded, please provide a breakdown of these referrals by: 鈥� Patients undergoing active treatment 鈥� Patients who have completed primary treatment | |
| Answer To Question 6: Please see atttached To accompany this answer to question 6 please also see the documents listed below:  FOI 9359 - Q6.pdf | |
| Please see Attachments: | |
| To return to the list of all the FOI requests please click here | |
Our staff at SA国际传媒 Hospital have long been well regarded for the quality of care and treatment they provide for our patients and for their innovation, commitment and professionalism. This has been recognised in a wide range of achievements and it is reflected in our award of NHS Foundation Trust status. This is afforded to hospitals that provide the highest standards of care.
