For many patients, the mental health impact hits after treatment (Image: Getty)
Cancer patients in England are facing a postcode lottery for mental health support after treatment, according to research by a charity. Data obtained from 81 NHS trusts using Freedom of Information requests found 48% did not have a formal aftercare pathway that included psychological care. Some 15% reported that they offered no post-treatment support at all, with wide variation according to location.
Almost nine in 10 trusts in the South West had a formal survivorship pathway, compared to just 20% in the East of England. Breast cancer charity Future Dreams said separate research had found 76% of its users sought emotional support more than two years after completing primary treatment.
Dr Fharat Raja, a consultant medical oncologist and Future Dreams trustee, said: “For many cancer patients, diagnosis is followed by an intense focus on getting through treatment.
“There is rarely the time or space to process how this life-changing event is affecting someone, their family, career and wider life.
“Once treatment ends, many people experience a rush of emotions as they begin to process what they have been through.
“For some, that ‘back to normal’ moment never comes, which is why access to psychological support can be such an important part of recovery.”
Zoe Yessaian, a senior NHS mental health nurse and breast cancer survivor, said she only began to face the psychological impact of her diagnosis after treatment.
She added: “During treatment I was focused on survival. There was always another appointment, another decision and another hurdle to get through.
“It wasn’t until active treatment ended that I really began to process everything that had happened and how much cancer had changed my life.
“Despite working in mental health, I still found the emotional impact of breast cancer incredibly difficult. Cancer had taken away so much of the control I felt I had over my future, which is why support after treatment is so important.
“Recovery doesn’t simply begin and end with the physical side of cancer.”
The Express Cancer Care crusade has highlighted the need for better mental health support for cancer patients since January 2025.
Reporter Robert discovered support was lacking after his diagnosis (Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
Reporter Robert Fisk spearheaded the campaign after witnessing how too many people were falling through the cracks during his own treatment for stage four bowel cancer.
He exposed how NHS holistic needs assessments — questionnaires that identify a patient’s physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and practical concerns — were not being used consistently.
The campaign led to the announcement in February that every cancer patient will be given a Personalised Cancer Plan to help them cope with the psychological toll, under Labour’s National Cancer Plan.
However, charities have warned that this promise must be fully implemented to be effective.
Macmillan Cancer Support’s chief executive Gemma Peters said in March that potential barriers included staff training and leadership commitment, adding: “Do hospital leaders really see it as being important?”
Future Dreams chief executive Sam Jacobs said: “These findings paint a worrying picture of the support available to cancer patients once treatment ends.
“As the Government develops its National Cancer Plan, survivorship support must become a core part of cancer care rather than something patients have to navigate alone.”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
