Contextualising and transforming support for minoritised blood cancer patients in the UK

Black Lives Matter and COVID-19 have done much to highlight health inequalities, compelling actors across the health sector to reassess their offer to racially minoritised communities. This studentship focuses on Blood Cancer UK (BCUK) - the UK's largest blood cancer (BC) charity - which has openly committed to critically exploring its record on racial justice at this moment when racial health inequality is increasingly prominent in political and public discourse.

This summer, BCUK asked "why haven't we done more to ensure we stand with everyone who has blood cancer?", acknowledging disproportionately little engagement with minoritised patients. This commitment was made in a context where, of the UK's 40,000 BC patients diagnosed annually, minoritised patients may have especial need for support: though no more likely than white patients to experience BC, minoritised patients have far less favourable experiences and outcomes (Fazil, 2018).

Using COVID-resilient mixed methods, this studentship will critically analyse BCUK's patient-facing support provision, interrogating its relevance to minoritised service users' experiences/priorities. This will incorporate analysis of documents (reading materials) and online content (informational webpages/patient forum). Interviews with minoritised patients will also glean their views of BCUK's provision, and their understandings of the content and format of support useful for them.