Millions lost by failure to support cancer sufferers

Thousands of people with cancer wish to work but are being held back by inadequate support, according to research carried out by Maggie’s Cancer Centres.

The charity is launching a campaign in the New Year to help people with cancer return to employment after calculating that the benefit to Scotland alone could amount to £150 million a year in lost taxes and profits for businesses.

Maggie’s estimates there are at least 5,000 people in Scotland living with cancer and who wish to work but are unable to. Across the UK there are 63,000 people in the same position.

Now the charity has created a programme to help employers deal with the challenges faced by members of the workforce who are diagnosed with cancer. Maggie’s, which has teamed up with financial protection and rehabilitation experts Unum to help employers manage sick employees, stresses that a cancer diagnosis does not necessarily spell the end of a person’s working life.

In the UK, someone is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes but with earlier diagnosis, more advanced treatments and better targeted drugs, more people are living well with cancer for longer – with survival rates doubling in the last 40 years.

Lesley Howells, Maggie’s lead researcher and head of the centre in Dundee, said: “Returning to work following cancer treatment isn’t right for everyone, but for those who can and choose to, it can have a hugely positive effect.

“It can provide a focus outside of their illness, and have a hugely positive effect on their self esteem which can empower them to live well with cancer. Next year, the partnership between Maggie’s and Unum will address the barriers facing employers and people living with cancer, through education events and resources.

“It will also raise awareness of the importance of a carefully-managed return to work for those who can and choose to work following treatment, which will benefit employees, employers and the economy.”

Research by Unum suggests the way line managers communicate with people with cancer can be crucial and can help improve the chances a person has of being able to continue to work – even while they are receiving treatment.

Joy Reymond, head of rehabilitation and health management services at Unum, said: “Businesses want to do the right thing by their staff, but are often stumbling in the dark, without guidance. The role of the line manager, too, cannot be underestimated.

“The report shows they often have the biggest impact on someone’s experience of working with cancer because they are often the main contact the employee has with their employer. Our partnership with Maggie’s aims to give businesses the support they need, including ways they can educate staff at all levels to approach this in the right way.”

Dr Tyna Taskila, senior researcher at the Work Foundation, said: “Businesses need to wise up to the fact that return to work is now a realistic outcome for many people with cancer and make sure they have the right framework in place to help them.

“Many people still struggle to remain in the workplace after cancer and are at higher risk of early retirement, but businesses can play a key role in supporting them to stay in work.

“This support does not need to be costly – just maintaining contact between people with cancer and their line managers, or colleagues, during treatment can have a positive impact. At policy-level, businesses need to allow more flexibility for people returning to work after treatment, for example, by introducing a more gradual return to work programme.”

Case study: ‘Brilliant’ employers allowed Eileen to have some normality in her life

Eileen Watts, a working mother of five boys from Auchterhouse outside Dundee, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in September last year while on holiday.

After a period in hospital during which she developed septicemia, the 46-year-old returned to Scotland for treatment and is currently undergoing chemotherapy.

But although life as a mother of young children and dealing with cancer is hard enough, one thing Watts has not had to worry about has been her job. “I had only been back from maternity leave for four weeks when I became ill, but work have been brilliant,” she says.

The management at Axis-Shield, where she works as a research scientist, have been in touch constantly and have arranged for her to come into work whenever she feels well enough.

“They have said to me: ‘This is not about getting you back to work, we want this to be for your benefit.’

“I can do a few hours a week if I feel I can do it, but there is not pressure to go in. They are working around me. It has all been about me.

“And Maggie’s has been brilliant, telling me about things like benefits.”

She says the support of her employers has made a huge difference to her state of mind.

“It takes the pressure off because I am not worrying about that. It lets you concentrate on trying to fight this disease. It makes me feel a bit more normal, and I think a bit of normality helps.”

Going into work when she is well enough is something which has helped her maintain a positive state of mind. “Just because I have got cancer doesn’t mean I don’t have skills.”

“Cancer is not such a black and white thing any more – you can live through it. And the more normal you can

feel, the better you can deal with