National Cancer Mission Hubs and Community Engagement Beyond Patient Advocacy Groups

Part of the ECHoS Project “Cancer Mission Impact: A Practitioners’ Series. Learn. Test. Come-back” this webinar features Dheepa Rajan from the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, along with Gonçalo Figueiredo Augusto and Pia Kirkegaard. The session explores how National Cancer Mission Hubs (NCMHs) can engage with the wider public, communities, and civil society to implement the EU Mission on Cancer and Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan effectively.

Dheepa Rajan discusses the challenges and benefits of engaging communities beyond health and research professionals. She emphasises, “While researchers and health professionals are already engaged, involving broader communities, civil society, and patients is crucial for the success of the mission. These groups are the big beneficiaries and service users whose voices we need to hear and integrate into our decision-making.”

Addressing the setup of NCMHs, Dheepa notes, “Hubs are in various stages of development across different countries. The engagement of communities and civil societies remains a weak link, but there’s a strong will to broaden the stakeholder base to include these essential voices.”

Dheepa highlights the importance of meaningful engagement: “Experiential knowledge from communities complements expert views and helps innovate workable solutions. We need communities and civil society to act as advocates and agents of change, ensuring their buy-in for successful policy implementation.”

Gonçalo Figueiredo Augusto and Pia Kirkegaard present their insights and examples from Portugal and Denmark. Gonçalo discusses the National Health Council’s approach to engaging communities in Portugal, while Pia shares Denmark’s strategies for integrating public health programs with community involvement.

The webinar outlines strategies for engagement, including one-way and bi-directional methods, and presents real-life examples from France and the UK. Dheepa concludes, “NCMHs should reflect on their engagement strategies, considering partnerships with existing platforms or integrating community engagement as a core function. Starting with one activity and building from there can significantly enhance the impact and reach of cancer mission hubs.”

Watch to learn how NCMHs can leverage community engagement to achieve impactful results beyond traditional approaches!