The University of Edinburgh

group has studied the assessment and treatment of patients' symptoms. They have established symptom screening for large numbers of patients using touch screen computers. They have particular expertise in trials of complex interventions and a particular strength in research in primary cancer and palliative care. They have developed a complex intervention for depression in cancer outpatients delivered by Cancer Nurses are currently engaged in a randomized trials of a nurse delivered intervention. They have established collaborations with research programmes into symptom management in neurology and cardiology.

The Leeds University

group have focused on the assessment of emotional distress, depression and anxiety, quality of life and social problems. They have also evaluated ways of enhancing the medical consultation in clinical trials of training oncologists to use the information obtained from assessment of patients' quality of life. Edinburgh and Leeds have collaborated on this work for nearly ten years and have jointly developed the use of computer touch screens to obtain valid and reliable semi-automatic symptom and quality of life assessment.

The King's College London

group have studied both assessment and intervention. They have completed work on evaluating and systematically reviewing patient needs and measures. Core measures have been proposed to assess palliative care needs and outcomes, for use in both research and clinical practice.

They have expertise in studying emotional distress fatigue, breathlessness and palliative and end of life care. King's have also studied how to train nurses to deliver interventions and have studied the mental health of staff delivering them. King's and Edinburgh have collaborated on developing assessment appropriate to the cancer stage and how to train nurses to deliver interventions. King's have strong links to neurology, respiratory medicine and cardiology