Shaun’s Cancer Story: How Health and Care Passports Improve Healthcare
When NHS England asked IC Works to help promote Hospital Passports, also known as Health and Care Passports, we knew it was an important project.
Hospital Passports are simple but powerful documents. They inform hospital staff about a person’s needs, preferences, and communication style, and they can record reasonable adjustments that staff can then ensure are made to help any appointments run smoothly.
For people with a learning disability or autistic people, this can mean the difference between care that feels confusing and care that feels supportive.
That difference is something that IC Works team member Shaun Webster MBE, knows about first-hand. When Shaun was diagnosed with prostate cancer, he went through a traumatic experience in hospital.
In the video, he explains how his Hospital Passport supported the staff at Rotherham Hospital to make sure he got the right care and treatment.
Shaun spoke about his experience openly in an interview, and we knew it needed to be shared. With IC Works Director Ian Christie helping to co-ordinate the project and video whiz Gavin Renz bringing his creative skill behind the camera, we produced a film that captured Shaun’s story in a powerful and authentic way.
But we couldn’t have made the video without Suzanne Miles, Specialist Nurse Practitioner for Urology at Rotherham Hospital. She has given Shaun really good support since April. “She kept things on track when I was moving to my new home earlier in the year, and I was forgetting things because I had so much on my mind during that busy time.”
She moved heaven and earth so we could hold the film shoot less than two weeks after we first contacted her.
This project shows why co-production matters.
By listening to lived experience and working together - NHS England, Rotherham Hospital, Shaun, Gavin, and the rest of the IC Works team - we’ve created something that not only explains what Hospital Passports are, but also shows exactly why they can be life-changing.
Do you need accessible video?
If you’re interested in working with IC Works to create your own accessible videos, please get in touch.