Patient Representative - Shape our grants programme to help reduce the risk of cancer
Are you passionate about preventing cancer? Join our Grants Review Panel and have your say on how we work with other organisations to strengthen our voice and help prevent cancer across the UK. You’ll help shape our approach to funding organisations that support and advocate our policy work and be involved in the decisions on which organisations we fund from April 2025.
Overview
Type of activity: Patient Representative
Organised by: Cancer Research UK
Location: Online, anywhere
Time commitment: Approximately 28 hours, over 10 months (End of August 2024 – June 2025) with the possibility of an extension. This includes:
- 1 virtual 90-minute induction meeting
- At least two decision meetings. One on 5 September 2024 (11am-1pm), and one in February 2025 (full day, date to be confirmed, location either online or in person).
- Reading through documents ahead of the meetings.
- Inputting into the evaluation process of the prevention advocacy organisations (either via email or through a virtual meeting).
Payment and Expenses: We offer £30 for 2 hours, £50 for 4 hours, £80 for full day of involvement activity. This includes meetings and any preparation time. In addition, we offer a £5 allowance for online meetings.
Looking for: 2 x Patient Representatives. One of these positions is open to Cancer Research UK Campaigns Ambassadors as their knowledge of our policy issues will benefit this programme, as well as their lived experience.
Closing date for this opportunity: Wednesday 7 August 23:59pm
We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of applications; we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to be considered for this role.
More information
About the project
Around 4 in 10 cancers in the UK can be prevented. Cancer Research UK’s prevention policy team work on the key preventable risk factors for cancer. These include smoking, overweight and obesity, air pollution, sun, alcohol, and HPV vaccination.
As part of this work we fund organisations that support and advocate our policy work on tobacco control, obesity, and alcohol across the UK. These organisations strengthen Cancer Research UK’s voice on specific policy issues and work alongside others to influence where CRUK may not have the ability to do so.
About the role
We’re recruiting two Patient Representatives to join a staff panel (made up of approximately 10 Cancer Research UK staff) to ensure the perspective of people affected by cancer is heard and considered in the decision-making process on the allocation of funding towards different organisations that help advocate our work to reduce the risk of cancer.
As a patient representative, you’ll help to ensure we fund organisations that will likely have the biggest impact in reducing the public’s risk of cancer and ensure the public and patient involvement activities detailed as part of these projects are clear and relevant. Your involvement will help to shape the next three years of advocacy organisation funding.
In this role, you will:
- Prepare for meetings by reading briefing documents.
- Attend meetings to share your views and be involved in key decisions about the programme – this includes how much funding we distribute, what we want the organisations to work on, and feedback on applications for funding.
- Review applications for funding received from advocacy organisations, providing your thoughts on the potential impact and relevance of the projects and your views on their involvement of patients and the public.
We’re looking for people affected by cancer who:
- Have been affected by cancer, either personally or through a close family member/friend.
- Are interested in cancer prevention – reducing the risk of cancer.
- Are comfortable and willing to share their experience and opinions to shape our work
- Have good communication skills and the ability to share their thoughts effectively, including the thoughts of others.
- Can access online meetings through a computer/tablet and a stable internet connection (Microphone needed, camera preferred but not required.
- Can attend the panel meeting on 5 September 2024 from 11am to 1pm
It’s important that we involve a diverse group of people affected by cancer. We particularly welcome applications from people from diverse backgrounds and underrepresented communities.
In this role, we promise to support you by:
- Providing an online induction session to help you understand Cancer Research UK and the role you’ll play
- Providing background information on anything we involve you in
- Giving reasonable adjustments where needed to participate in activities (e.g. adjusting font sizes, sending hard copy reading materials in the post, option to attend in person meetings online)
Access the full role profile here:
How to apply?
- Please complete the online application form below
- To discuss the application process more, request a digital copy or if you want to apply in writing or on the phone;
- Call us on 0203 4698777 or
- email us on involvement@cancer.org.uk.
- Please submit your application by 11.59pm on Wednesday 7 August.
What happens next?
- Applications will be reviewed, and we’ll be in touch to let you know if you've been invited for an interview.
- Interviews will take place on 15 and 16 August.
- We often receive more applications for roles than we have spaces available. We will choose applicants who best meet the criteria outlined in the role profile.
- We may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of applications; we advise you to submit your application as early as possible to be considered for this role.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
At Cancer Research UK value diversity and we're committed to creating an inclusive space where everyone can be themselves and help shape our work.
We actively encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, communities and cultures and believe that a range of views and experiences will help us represent all people affected by cancer.