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: | |
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