Providing equitable and affordable access to clean water for people living with cancer: experiences of addressing financial inequalities in a rural and coastal setting.

<p>Background: A universal human right to water has been recognised by the UN. People living with cancer (PLWC) need access to water for hydration, personal hygiene, and infection control. 80% of UK PLWC face a financial impact due to their cancer. In the rural and coastal county of Lincolnshire, reports emerged of PLWC disconnecting their water supply from fear of cost. We report on work by the Lincolnshire Living with Cancer (LWC) team to find ways to ease financial burden and provide equitable access to clean water. </p>\n<p>Methodology: The LWC team and Anglian Water (AW) developed vulnerable person’s support, to raise awareness of water rights, the Priority Services Register (PSR) and Extra Care Assessment (ECA), with accessible literature for non-English speaking communities, a staff training video, presentations across networks and cancer training for AW Call Handlers.</p>\n<p>Results: Since May 2023 5070 PSR registrations and 25858 ECAs completed. This has helped over 30000 people with long-term conditions, including PLWC, access clean and affordable water, a personalised package of support for water bills and financial assistance.</p>\n<p>Impact: Positive impact has been seen across Lincolnshire, for patients, workforces and the organisations involved.</p>\n<p>Discussion: Financial difficulties impact PLWC’s health and wellbeing and a willingness to step outside our historical approaches can improve PLWC’s quality of life. The project is being considered by AW to be scaled up to other localities and we are exploring opportunities to work with other utility providers. </p>