Evaluation of The Haven at Home in Yorkshire

Evaluation of The Haven at Home in Yorkshire

The Haven at Home, which consists of a DVD, audio CD and web-based information, was developed to extend the availability of the Haven Programme to those people with breast cancer unable to reach one of the Haven centres in London, Leeds and Hereford. The Haven at Home includes many of the different elements from the in-house Haven Programme to support mind and body that are known to be helpful from Visitor feedback.

In support of the Department of Health’s Cancer Reform Strategy, and as part of the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative, The Haven was awarded a grant of £18,207 by the Yorkshire Cancer Network to evaluate the outreach programme The Haven at Home, in order to determine whether it is helpful for breast cancer survivors. Recuitment for this study ran from April 2009 to February 2010 .

In addition to the feedback questionnaires received (n=73), telephone interviews have been conducted with 10 of the responding participants to obtain further detailed views and comments. The findings of the study were submitted in a Final Report to the Yorkshire Cancer Network in May 2010. 

• The Haven at Home programme was considered to be very helpful (79%) and easy to understand (81%) by the majority of breast cancer survivors who gave a response.  
• Seven of the DVD sections (getting emotional support, about breast cancer, Emotional Freedom Technique, Tai Chi movement, yoga stretches, nutrition and creating a healthier environment), and all 4 sections on the audio CD (mindfulness meditation, hypnosis, breathing, relaxation and healing visualisation) were considered to be very helpful by 60-70%  of the participants.
• The Haven at Home was liked for its positive effects, usefulness at home, offer of companionship and specific therapies, despite some difficulty in accessing specific sections on the DVD.
• All the participants that gave a response stated that they would recommend the programme to others with breast cancer.

Comments made by some of the participants

“DVD – fantastic how you put it together…information on diet… approached it in a very sensible, clear way, without putting pressure on people, just trying to get the point over. I thought they did really well with that”.

“DVD – I liked that exercise at the end – Tai Chi - I loved that, yes I absolutely loved that, that made you feel absolutely beautiful…it makes you feel really really so relaxed.”

 “Everything I needed was just there, meditation on CD was absolutely fantastic. I still use it now. I tell everyone about you”

“A very good tool, I still have it next to my bed with my CD player and I know if I have a sleepless night or if I wake up panicking, I can turn over and put my CD on and things will be fine. I am fortunate that I have a Haven nearby me, but with only 3 around the UK not everybody is that fortunate. It has just enough information on there which covers all the different topics.”

 Findings were presented as a poster in September 2010  at the British Breast Cancer Research Conference, Nottingham, UK. Click here to view poster.

We plan to publish the findings in a peer-reviewed journal.