Our Team

Alison’s doctoral thesis aims to provide an example of how patients receiving treatment for HNL have an improved quality of life and better chances of swallowing a normal texture of diet without needing to eat softer foods or rely on high calorie alternatives like drinks or liquid food through feeding tubes in the stomach. Ideas of what could be done to improve patient care and help to better manage HNL will be discussed. Together, refinement of a personalised treatment programme will be agreed. The agreed solution will then be tested with HNC patients to get their view.

Research Question:

Is Complete Decongestive Therapy (CDT) a feasible and acceptable intervention for patients with head & neck lymphoedema (HNL) following treatment for head and neck cancer (HNC)?

Research Objectives:

1. To identify and critically review the content and relevance of the literature on HNL interventions and their impact on dysphagia outcomes, retention and adherence.

2. Co-Production: Identification of solutions to acceptability, refining the intervention, and materials used with patient and AHP stakeholder workshops, along with a principal patient co-creator.

3. To deliver a co-produced individualised CDT intervention to HaNC patients with HNL and evaluate its acceptability and feasibility

Methods:

There will be three work-streams in this research:

Work-stream 1: A Systematic Review

A search of any research that has used CDT to treat HNL to understand if this type of treatment has previously been practical to HNC patients receiving it, and if it improved their swallowing function.· Work-stream 2: Co production

Three workshops of people who have had HNC, their partners/carers and HNC health professionals. People will be invited nationally and called ‘coproduction participants’. Participants will be asked to share challenges and thoughts on the treatment programme itself. Any changes to the treatment programme and therapy resources will be made once agreed.

Work-stream 3: Feasibility study

This will test if personalised CDT is a practical and acceptable treatment for HNL to improve swallowing. Afterwards, participants will be invited to take part in a short interview to share their views on the treatment. 

Supervisors: Professor Jo Patterson, Dr Gemma Cherry, Mr Jason Fleming

Dr Andrew Riley is a health services researcher in the Department of Primary Care and Mental Health at the University of Liverpool.

His research involves evaluating community health interventions, collaborating with service users, healthcare professionals, and voluntary sector partners to understand how services work, for whom, and under what circumstances.

Originally from the North West, Andrew lives in Liverpool and enjoys running marathons and hill walking in his spare time.

tbc

Christopher John (Chris) Elkington

F.M.S; M.C.I.Mgt

Married, Father and Grandfather

Lincolnshire born and bred, currently living in Suffolk

Retired CEO of a consortium of Local Authorities

Former Chair of Parish Council, School Governors, Admissions and Exclusions Panels, Scouts and a myriad of small groups

Head and Neck Cancer Survivor – currently 13+ years

Current Chair of Head and Neck Cancer UK (HANCUK).   www.hancuk.org

Director, Trustee and Company Secretary of multi-national professional Institute

Founder and current Trustee of Lincoln City Football Club former players association

Former Independent member of Standards Committees of two Local Authorities

Passionate about raising awareness of Head and Neck Cancer (by any means) inc

Radio, TV, presentations to clinicians, students , pharma companies & professional bodies and lobbying MP’s. ministers and decision makers

Participating in, and sometimes leading, PPI groups in a variety of research projects, particularly advocating for the use of non- clinical language in patient facing documents.