Scotland's Cancer Strategy Evaluation: Experiences of patient access and engagement with cancer treatment and support in rural and island areas, and in areas with higher deprivation

Appendix G – Text from advisory group information sheet

The Scottish Government has asked Ipsos Scotland (an independent research company) to speak to people about their experiences of accessing cancer treatment. Dr Naomi White (University of Edinburgh) will also be providing advice on the evaluation. The Scottish Government wants to understand what is working well and what could be improved, particularly for people living in rural/island areas of Scotland and those living in areas where a lot of people are on low incomes. This will help them think about how to deliver services in future.

We (the team at Ipsos) are creating a Service User Advisory Group, made up of people who have experience of accessing cancer treatment services, to work with us and advise us on how the evaluation is carried out. This leaflet explains what would be involved in being a Service User Advisor to the Cancer Strategy for Scotland Evaluation.

Why have I been invited to be a Service User Advisor?

The main part of the evaluation will involve interviewing around 48-60 people with recent or current experience of cancer treatment, as well as some of the professionals involved in providing treatment and supporting patients.

We want to make sure we make things as comfortable as possible for people who take part in these interviews, and to make sure we are asking the right questions, of the right people, in the right way. We also want to make sure that the recommendations of the evaluation reflect the lived experience of people who have experienced cancer treatment.

We hope you might be able to share your views and experiences as a ‘Service User Advisor’ to the evaluation to help us with this.

What does taking part involve?

The Service User Advisory Group will be made up of around four to six people who have experienced cancer treatment in Scotland. The team at Ipsos will speak to members as part of a small group, in a pair or individually, if you prefer.

We will ask for your advice on things like:

• How we can make sure we speak to the right people
• How we can make sure that the interviews are sensitive to the experiences of people receiving cancer treatment
• The wording of the invitations to participate and the questions we ask
• What you think of the initial findings
• What you think potential recommendations for Scottish Government should be, based on the findings from the evaluation.

Meetings will be relaxed and informal. There are no right or wrong answers - we just want to hear your views.

The Ipsos team will speak to around 3 times between this year (2025) and the end of the project in March 2026. You may also be asked for your views on things like evaluation materials in between meetings.

As a member of the Service User Advisory Group, you will receive £300 as a thank you for your time. This can be via a bank transfer or voucher for Amazon or Love2Shop. Payments would be made in three parts over the course of the evaluation, with a payment of £100 after each meeting you attend.

Please note that receiving a payment may potentially impact on any benefit payments or tax positions. We would encourage you to seek advice from Citizens Advice Scotland if you are concerned about this.

How will my information be used?

If you agree, Ipsos would like to audio-record the conversation, so they can refer back to what you said. If you prefer not to be recorded, that’s fine though. The recording will be securely stored in a folder only accessible to the team at Ipsos. Ipsos may use their secure AI assistant to transcribe the recording.

Everything you share will be treated in confidence and your contributions will only be shared by Ipsos anonymously, unless you wish to be named as a co-author (see below). Your contact details will not be shared outside of the evaluation team at Ipsos. The only exception to this would be if we believe that you or somebody else is at risk of serious harm, in which case we may need to share this with someone else so that help can be provided.

Ipsos will write a report of the evaluation findings for the Scottish Government. The report will be published. If you would like us to, we will name you as a co-author of the report to recognise your role in shaping the evaluation.

Do I have to take part?

No. It is entirely your choice whether or not you take part. You can also change your mind at any time without giving us a reason. Taking part, or deciding not to take part, will not affect any services or support you receive.

How will we handle your personal data?

Please read the accompanying privacy notice for this project. This tells you more about how Ipsos securely handles your personal data.

How can I take part?

If you have any questions or would like to take part, please get in touch with Ipsos:

• Email: [redacted] or
• Call or message [Senior Researcher at Ipsos] on: [redacted]

[Senior Researcher at Ipsos] will take some details from you and you can ask her any questions you have about what is involved. If we already have enough service user advisors when you get in touch, she may ask you if it is OK to keep your contact details in case you are interested in taking in an interview later on in the evaluation (you would be free to decide nearer the time whether this is something you still want to do).

Please let us know if there is anything that would make it easier for you to take part. We will discuss your needs with you and try to make it as easy as possible for you to take part.

Sources of support

We know that taking part in evaluations like this can sometimes raise issues people want further help with. Here are some sources of support that might be helpful.

Citizens Advice Scotland

Citizens Advice Scotland provide free, independent, confidential and impartial advice to people in Scotland.

Visit their website at https://www.cas.org.uk/ for information or to find your nearest Citizens Advice Bureau.

Children 1st Parentline

Children 1st is Scotland’s National Children’s Charity. They run a free parentline for advice and support on 08000 28 22 33.

Their website can be found at https://www.children1st.org.uk/help-for-families/parentline-scotland/

Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support provide emotional, practical, physical and financial support for people living with cancer.

Visit their website at www.macmillan.org.uk for information.

Maggie’s Centres

Maggie’s provide practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends. The centres have staff on hand to offer support.

You can visit their website here: https://www.maggies.org/

How to access the background or source data

The following statement(s) indicate the availability of the data which underlie the results of this publication (tick all that apply):

Anonymised microdata (individual-level) are stored externally at and availability is subject to their access procedures.

Anonymised microdata (individual-level) are openly available from the Scottish Government website at .

Aggregate data are openly available from the Scottish Government website at .

Aggregate data are provided within this publication or its annexes.

Data are held by Scottish Government and may be made available on request, subject to consideration of legal and ethical factors. Please contact for further information.

Data are held by and may be made available by them on request, subject to consideration of legal and ethical factors. Please see for further information.

Data cannot be made available due to legal, ethical or security considerations.

Not applicable: This publication does not present any findings directly based on data.