The Q Perioperative Care-Prehabilitation Special Interest Group (SIG) is hosted by Macmillan Cancer Support and the Centre for Perioperative Care (CPOC), a partnership between health charities, professional organisations, patient organisations and several leading Royal Colleges.

The initial focus of this SIG will be on prehabilitation and rehabilitation, specifically supporting and optimising peoples’ physical and mental health in advance of, during and beyond treatment for cancer and other long-term conditions.

The SIG will bring members together to:

• Learn and share best practice and experiences to implement change at a local level
• Debate hot topics
• Support and influence national policy
• Enable Shared Decision Making (SDM) between patients, family and healthcare professionals
• Share high quality patient information and educational resources
• Share emerging research themes to inform clinical practice

Our convenors are:

• Dr Garry Davenport, National Clinical Advisor, Macmillan Cancer Support and Consultant Anaesthetist, Cambridge University Hospitals
• Dr Sam Moore, CPOC Fellow and Anaesthetist in Training
• Lawrence Mudford, CPOC Patient Representative
• Sharon Drake, Deputy CEO/Director of Clinical Quality & Research at the Royal College of Anaesthetists

The aim of CPOC is to optimise the surgical pathway from the moment someone contemplates surgery all the way until they complete their recovery. We want to see the implementation of simple but effective interventions to reduce cancellations, complications and hospital bed days. This will help tackle waiting lists, improve patient outcomes, boost efficiency and lower cost.

Macmillan Cancer Support have developed resources to help professionals support people with cancer as they prepare for treatment.