A new, innovative health model that helps cancer patients prepare for treatment, has seen significant improvement in quality of life and reducing BMI and smoking cessation for cancer patients, 38% higher than the NHS average.
QuestPrehab provides a bespoke programme of activities and actions to help patients feel physically and emotionally prepared for their treatment. Quest’s flexible approach to support has shown that patients are likely to stick to their programme for longer.
Developed by Professor Tara Rampal, QuestPrehab uses a telehealth approach, offering bespoke nutritional, psychological, and physical support to patients. This is delivered through an app, online, via telephone, or in person. Aligning with the NHS’s Long-Term Plan, the programme has been developed to reduce costs for providers whilst improving access to key services for patients.
The national success rate of the NHS Stop Smoking Service is currently at 53.5%, and during its pilot programme in Kent and Medway, QuestPrehab achieved a smoking cessation success rate of 91%, a four-point Body Mass Index reduction for patients referred for weight loss pre-treatment, as well as a 23.3% increase in health-related quality of life scores post-treatment.
Professor Rampal believes the proven success of smoking cessation, weight loss, and nutritional management from the Quest programme can help reduce emergency readmissions amongst cancer patients, as well as help them maintain a healthier life post-treatment.
Professor Rampal said: “Access to the right support following a cancer diagnosis is a huge issue for many people in our country, and we need to find solutions to ensure that patients are as emotionally and physically empowered as they can be before facing treatment, including quitting smoking and losing weight.
“By creating this flexible, personalised approach to improving health and wellbeing for patients, we have found our smoking and weight loss success rates to be much higher than the national average – with fewer emergency readmissions and better quality of life post-treatment for many of our patients.”
