Mental Wellbeing in Cancer and Palliative Care

This work aimed to understand how people access psychological and emotional support across the cancer journey and the barriers that get in the way. We gathered lived experiences from diverse and high‑risk groups to identify gaps and inform clearer, stronger emotional wellbeing pathways.

Why This Matters

Emotional support for cancer and palliative care is fragmented, poorly signposted, and often inaccessible, leaving many people unsure where to go for help. High‑risk groups face the greatest inequalities, and without consistent pathways, the burden of emotional care falls unfairly on families and the voluntary sector.

What we did

Ran an online survey with 55 respondents covering access, need, barriers, and preferences. And kept this open on our annual survey for more responses.

Delivered 5 focus groups with 21 participants exploring lived experience in depth.

Gathered 2 detailed email accounts from people with complex psychological support needs.

Engaged participants from all 7 NHS Trusts, GP surgeries, charities, hospices, and prison settings to include patients, carers, bereaved relatives, and health professionals.

Outcomes

What we achieved!

Many people do not know where to get emotional support, and psychological wellbeing is rarely discussed or signposted by staff. Emotional support is inconsistent, with some receiving excellent care while others receive none, even from specialist teams. Most people rely on family, friends, or voluntary‑sector charities, placing a heavy and unequal burden on informal support. Significant inequalities exist, with high‑risk groups (e.g., rural communities, prisoners, carers, deaf patients, older adults, people with mental health needs) facing major barriers to help. System‑level issues such as long waits, travel distance, digital exclusion, multiple hospital pathways, and limited staff capacity contribute to distress being hidden until crisis.