Cancer patients to be helped to stay in work

Cancer patients are to be helped to stay in their jobs and avoid losing their income during often-gruelling treatments for the disease.

Ministers will launch a partnership with employers next week as part of a new national cancer plan for the NHS in England, aimed at helping 830,000 people with cancer.

One in three people diagnosed with cancer stop working, and on average patients miss 75 days of work, taking a financial hit while dealing with the turmoil of diagnosis and treatment; 8% of patients cut their hours or take unpaid leave. The employer collaborative partnership aims to connect charities with employers to share best practice and training for managers to help employees through treatment and recovery.

Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said the plan would help patients focus on recovery. “Too many people are being forced out of their jobs and losing thousands of pounds – not because of their illness, but because the support simply is not there. That is not fair and not good enough.”

Photograph by Derek Trask/Alamy