Browser does not support script.
Skip to main content
search here
Research shows that patients have better outcomes at work if they receive support early on to consider how cancer and its treatment might affect their working lives. Health and social care professionals play a key role in having early conversations about work with patients.
Macmillan has developed a range of learning tools and resources to support you in talking about employment issues with people affected by cancer. The following current and upcoming resources are intended to give you the knowledge, skills and confidence you need to talk to your patients about work issues as well as empower patients to seek work support when needed.
Macmillan has developed an online learning module for health and social care professionals about work and cancer. Can we talk about work?| is designed to help improve professionals’ understanding of work and cancer issues and increase their confidence in discussing work issues with their cancer patients. It is available for free on Learn Zone|.
A resource for health and social care professionals to guide people living with cancer who are in employment or on long-term sick leave, self-employed or out of work and want to discuss work options.
Work support route guide for England [PDF]| Work support route guide for Scotland [PDF] |Work support route guide for Northern Ireland [PDF]| Work support route guide for Wales [PDF]| Work support route guide for Wales [PDF]| (Welsh)
To help us improve the Work support route guide, please take a couple of minutes to tell us about your experience, by filling out our survey|. Your feedback will be invaluable in helping us develop the tool further.
We have developed a new educational resource| for Occupational Health Practitioners (OHPs), to help raise OHP awareness of the work-limiting effects of the most common cancers. The course has been endorsed and accredited by the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) for two continuing professional development (CPD) points and is available on Learn Zone| now. After you’ve registered for Learn Zone, which is free, please go to the Health and Social Care Professionals section|.
It can be hard for patients to know what questions to ask and who to talk to when it comes to work issues. So we've created The essential questions to ask about work tool [PDF]| featuring a range of questions for every stage of the cancer journey, with details of who to ask - for example, a GP or line manager. Please signpost patients to this tool and empower them to ask the right questions at the right time.
Macmillan has created the Work it out tool for working carers so they can find the information they need about managing work and care responsibilities. The questions are divided into four topics: medical, work, home and financial. You can download the Work it out for carers tool [PDF]| or order a hardcopy on be.macmillan|. Please signpost patients to this tool and empower them to ask the right questions at the right time.
In March and April 2011, Macmillan commissioned research with health and social care professionals. Focus groups looked at what conversations professionals currently have with patients about work and cancer. It also identified professionals’ learning and development needs and preferences, and some cultural barriers that can stand in the way of behaviour change. The Can we talk about work? [PDF]| report summarises the research findings and will inform Macmillan’s future efforts to develop new work and cancer learning and development resources.
Visit our main work & cancer section| for more in-depth information about work and employment related issues, for both employees and employers.
This practical guide signposts resources to help professionals support patients who want to discuss work issues. Also available for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Go to the work and cancer section|
E-learning for occupational health professionals
Discover e-learning programmes, courses, events, toolkits and more on Learn Zone.