NHS denies that mental health help for cancer patients is being axed

A union has said a vital service that supports more than 500 cancer patients across the East Midlands could close – but the NHS says this isn’t the case. The East Midlands Cancer Alliance Centre for Psychosocial Health has been earmarked for closure in September, according to Unite the Union.

The service provides vital services to more than 500 cancer patients across the region each year, including therapy and mental health support. Yet the integrated care boards (ICB) for all counties across the East Midlands have said “no decision” has been taken on the service’s closure.

A spokesperson said: “No decision has been taken to close the East Midlands Centre for Psychosocial Health. It is misleading and unhelpful to patients to suggest otherwise, who should continue to visit the service for support as they ordinarily would”.

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This comes despite Unite the Union and the Keep Our NHS Public campaign group both claiming they were aware of plans to cut funding for the service. Unite says the plans – which would see 15 clinical psychologist jobs cut – were made without any warning or consultation with its members.

Mike Scott, spokesman for the Nottingham branch of Keep Our NHS Public campaign group, said: “It’s little short of unbelievable that this much-needed service is being scrapped, leaving people with cancer without the support it’s been providing.

“This is clearly a result of the massive cuts in local health services ordered by the government – at a time when we’ve all been told that NHS finances are being protected. If this is what protection looks like, we wouldn’t like to see the effect of cuts”.

The service was set up four years ago as a pilot, but has since won awards for its patient care and it now runs clinical trials that could help cut down NHS waiting lists, the union has added.

The centre provides services to patients in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland. Recent proposed savings by the Nottinghamshire ICB also include plans to cut 430 jobs at Queen’s Medical Centre and City Hospital.

Robert Fisk, a national campaigner for cancer services, called the service’s closure “short-sighted”. The Daily Express journalist was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2023 and is leading the newspaper’s ‘Cancer Care’ campaign.

It calls on the government to ensure all cancer patients get access to mental health support both during and after their treatment. Robert was previously made aware of the East Midlands Cancer Alliance Centre as part of his ongoing campaign.

“The NHS needs to look at patients as whole people rather than numbers on a spreadsheet,” he told Nottinghamshire Live following the claims of the service’s closure.

“For most people, cancer is the most devastating diagnosis that you’re ever going to get – whether it’s curable or not, it’s still going to change your life forever and you need the mental health support.

“The centre seems to be doing that – if it is going to close that seems really short-sighted. For people in my position, it helps you to approach death and allows you to talk about issues”.

He added that the service in the East Midlands was “the best example I’ve heard of in the country”.

Unite’s general secretary, Sharon Graham, added: “It is disgraceful that commissioners operating under a Labour government would take such an unethical decision to remove psychological care from cancer patients and put our members’ jobs at risk”.