Key workers in cancer care: patient and staff attitudes and implications for role development in cancer services

The role of the key worker in cancer services was developed in the UK and is now being adopted more widely. Although this role arose out of national guidance, little is known about how it has been implemented, and there been no systematic attempt to investigate how the role is viewed by either patients or staff. This study used a qualitative approach to explore views of the impact of the key worker role in cancer care. Interviews were conducted with 15 staff and 15 patients. Generally, patients were very positive about the role, while staff felt it was just a renaming of their role, which they thought unnecessary. Several differences in the views of staff and patients emerged from the interviews. For example, staff felt the role should transfer to other members of the care team while patients wanted to keep the same worker. Potential reasons for this divergence in attitudes are discussed, and suggestions for the future development of the role made.