September update from Gemma
Blog
Published:
26 September 2024
Macmillan’s Chief Executive Gemma Peters explains why now is the time for Macmillan to evolve again and how better is possible, but only if the charity works differently.
Betterness, always
When Douglas Macmillan founded our organisation over 110 years ago, he made it our mission to strive for ‘betterness’ for people living with cancer.
That’s as true today as it was a century ago. The number of people being diagnosed with cancer is rising and there are unacceptable gaps between the best and worse experiences of cancer care. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Better is possible. Macmillan is here to do whatever it takes to get every person the best support today and spark a revolution in cancer care for the future.
Over the last century, we’ve aimed for better and for bigger. Macmillan has innovated and evolved as peoples’ needs have changed. We now reach more than two million people affected by cancer each year with our information and support. We’ve made breakthroughs that are transforming cancer care. We created the first cancer nurse specialist roles – you may know them as Macmillan nurses – who support people going through diagnosis and treatment with compassionate and expert care. People will be alive today because we pushed for and helped fund mobile CT scanners in some of the most deprived areas of the UK to catch lung cancer early, and these are now being rolled out nationally. We have inspired millions through our fundraising, advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns like the Macmillan Coffee Morning.
But we haven’t achieved this alone. We have been supported by and worked alongside generous members of the public, brilliant partners and generations of hard-working colleagues. ‘It takes a village’ as the saying goes – and only through collaboration and partnership have we been able to reach so many and have such impact in every part of the UK.
That’s as true today as it was a century ago. The number of people being diagnosed with cancer is rising and there are unacceptable gaps between the best and worse experiences of cancer care. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Better is possible. Macmillan is here to do whatever it takes to get every person the best support today and spark a revolution in cancer care for the future.
Over the last century, we’ve aimed for better and for bigger. Macmillan has innovated and evolved as peoples’ needs have changed. We now reach more than two million people affected by cancer each year with our information and support. We’ve made breakthroughs that are transforming cancer care. We created the first cancer nurse specialist roles – you may know them as Macmillan nurses – who support people going through diagnosis and treatment with compassionate and expert care. People will be alive today because we pushed for and helped fund mobile CT scanners in some of the most deprived areas of the UK to catch lung cancer early, and these are now being rolled out nationally. We have inspired millions through our fundraising, advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns like the Macmillan Coffee Morning.
But we haven’t achieved this alone. We have been supported by and worked alongside generous members of the public, brilliant partners and generations of hard-working colleagues. ‘It takes a village’ as the saying goes – and only through collaboration and partnership have we been able to reach so many and have such impact in every part of the UK.
The next evolution
Now we need to evolve again. To respond to the huge pressures in healthcare. To seize the opportunities of innovation in cancer care and treatment. And to face the fact that, despite our size, we still aren’t reaching many of the people with cancer who have the worst experiences and most need our support. On top of this, we also need to weather the challenges of the financial environment where we are having to fight harder to raise every pound.Better is possible, but only if we work differently. So, in the last year we’ve invited many people to help us develop a new strategy, challenge our thinking and stop us defaulting to what’s easy. We’ve heard from people with cancer, people we haven’t served well, partners, colleagues, volunteers and more.
Macmillan is buzzing with ideas and there are many things we could do, but we can’t do it all. We have asked ourselves critical questions to help choose where we can have the biggest impact. Where are the areas of greatest need? Where are people worst served? What are the greatest barriers to people accessing the best care? Where should we as Macmillan aim to reach and support people ourselves? Where can we aim to eradicate barriers and problems in the long-term, not just step in as a charity to meet needs where something is failing?
Focusing our efforts
What is clear is that we need to double down on how to make things better, but without being bigger. In the past we've tried to reach everyone and left some behind. Now we're going to focus on driving the changes that will make sure everyone gets the care and support they need. We’ll focus both on what’s needed right now – by ensuring everyone with cancer gets the information and support they need, no matter who you are or where you live; and build hope for the future, by sparking a revolution in cancer care so that the UK provides the best the world has to offer. And we can’t rely on growing our organisation to do this. We need to do more with less.This focus and these choices include difficult decisions. To ensure more people can access our support, we will need to deliver it differently. To get everyone the care and support that’s right for them, we’ll need to work with others instead of trying to do it all ourselves. To focus on areas of greatest need, we won’t be able to work everywhere. To invest in the innovations that will revolutionise cancer care, we can’t keep on expanding our services. To focus on where we can have the greatest impact, we’ll need to stop trying to be everything for everyone.
So, our new strategy aims to achieve the best care for people living with cancer, through doing what Macmillan does best. Reaching more people with trusted, quality advice and information from the moment they’re diagnosed. Growing the community of healthcare professionals who we work with, train and support, and who wear our Macmillan badge with pride. Working with people living with cancer, communities and the NHS to pioneer the future of healthcare. And inspiring millions of people to volunteer, donate and advocate for the very best care for every person living with cancer in the UK, whoever they are and wherever they live.
About the author
Gemma Peters
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Macmillan Support Line
The Macmillan Support Line is a free and confidential phone service for people living and affected by cancer. If you need to talk, we'll listen.