Stop cancer becoming the Forgotten 'C'

The pandemic has laid bare and worsened the chronic short staffing strain of many years on cancer nurses. Before coronavirus, our nurses were already struggling each day to deliver essential care. Now, an NHS already at crisis point is facing soaring demand.

We’re campaigning for Governments across the UK to invest in enough specialist cancer nurses to provide the vital care people living with cancer need.

Will you join our campaign?

This is an acutely challenging time for the NHS and for cancer care. NHS professionals are working tirelessly, but with a huge backlog and added winter pressures, many people living with cancer are experiencing disruption to their care.

Since the start of the pandemic, Macmillan has been campaigning for UK Governments to make sure cancer does not become the forgotten 'C'. Now we are asking campaigners to join us to show the strength of support for urgent investment in cancer nurses across the UK.

Our research report, Cancer Nursing on the Line (PDF), sets out that across the UK a total investment of around £170 million is needed to fund the training costs of creating nearly 4000 specialist cancer nurses required in 2030 to provide the care people need.

Time and time again, people living with cancer tell us that their nurse was a ‘lifeline’. The worsening crisis facing the cancer workforce means there are far too few nurses, and many people living with cancer are unable to access the critical help they need.

That’s why we’re campaigning for UK Governments to invest in enough cancer nurses to provide the care needed — or the cost on the NHS, and peoples’ lives, will be much greater.

Take action in your nation

See what Macmillan is calling for in your nation, and how you can support the campaign.