One-to-One Metastatic Breast Cancer Support Pilot

We’re running a small, 6-month pilot of a new service for people living with metastatic breast cancer who aren’t currently using our other services. It’s a one-to-one peer support service, giving you the chance to speak to a volunteer who also has a metastatic diagnosis.  

Your paired volunteer will only be a phone call away, to offer support or simply listen to whatever you need to talk about.

For this pilot, we’re looking to support people who:

• Have a metastatic (secondary) breast cancer diagnosis

• Aren’t attending our Living with Secondary Breast Cancer in-person or online groups.

If you’re regularly attending a group, you can register and let us know why you’d like to take part.

When you register, we’ll ask you to share some details about you and what support you’d find most helpful right now.

We’ll use your responses to pair you with one of our trained volunteers. As this is a small pilot, we might not find someone who matches all your experiences or requests. But we’ll try our best to find the right person to support you.

We strongly encourage you to have your first phone call Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm, or Friday 9am to 4pm. These are the hours our staff will be available if you or your volunteer needs to speak with them. If you need to have your first call outside of staff hours, let us know.

You’ll be called by the volunteer at the time you’ve agreed. If you can no longer make the time with the volunteer, get in touch with us and we’ll help you to reschedule.

The pilot will run for 6 months from the end of September until the end of March.

• You’ll speak to your volunteer over the phone

• You can choose to speak just the once, or up to 4 times if you and your volunteer would like to

• Each call will last a maximum of 1 hour

• Your volunteer will have had training on how to support you. They’ll listen and share details of their own experience where relevant

• The topics your volunteer could support you with include having a healthy lifestyle and exercise, talking to healthcare professionals, managing side effects from treatment or talking to partners, family or children

• Your volunteer will do their best to support you – whether that’s giving you tips for living well, letting you ask questions or just talking openly in a confidential space.

We want to make our services accessible to everyone. If your first language isn’t English and you’d like a telephone interpreter, we can arrange this for you in any language.  

If you have any additional needs, you can get in touch by calling 011 4263 6473 or emailing metastatic121@breastcancernow.org. We'll be happy to help. 

Is this a counselling service?

No. Your paired volunteer will be trained by us in how to support you and signpost you to relevant information and support. They’re not a counsellor or therapist. If you’re in crisis or you need immediate professional support, this service isn’t right for you.

When you register, we’ll be able to understand your needs by the information you give us. If we think another type of support service is more appropriate for you, we'll let you know and help to suggest more relevant support and information for you.

Is it confidential?

Yes. Our volunteers are fully trained and will respect your confidentiality, but if they’re worried for your safety (or someone else’s), they’re legally obliged to tell our team. This could be if:

• A service user is at risk of serious harm (physical, emotional, or psychological)

• A child or vulnerable adult is at risk, living in or exposed to a harmful environment

• There is evidence or disclosure of domestic abuse, even if it isn’t physical

• The person may be unable to speak freely or under coercive control

This service isn’t connected to your medical team, so nothing you share with your volunteer will be passed on to them.

When can I have my calls?

To help ensure support is available when needed, we strongly encourage calls to take place on weekdays during our staff support hours.

Staff support hours are:

• Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5pm

• Friday, 9am to 4pm

This means our team can be on hand to assist you or your volunteer if any questions or concerns arise.

What if my paired volunteer isn’t right for me?

If you’re not sure the volunteer we’ve paired you with is a good fit for you, that’s ok. Just let us know, and we can pair you with another volunteer.

Can I ask medical questions?

For medical advice, please speak to our expert nurses by calling our helpline 0808 800 6000 or using our Ask Our Nurses service.

Is now the right time for me?

Only you can really know when the time feels right, but it can help to think about what you’d like to get from the calls. Some people want to ask questions of someone who's been through something similar, some want tips on living well with a metastatic diagnosis, and others simply want to talk openly with someone who understands.

You’ll need to approach your paired volunteer with openness, kindness and respect – and you can expect the same in return.

If you're not sure yet, that's absolutely fine, and you don't have to have it all worked out before you register.

If you’re interested in using this service but now doesn’t feel like the right time, you might want to seek professional support first. Or if you’d like to speak to one of the team about any questions before registering, you can call us on 011 4263 6473 or email metastatic121@breastcancernow.org.

If you register and change your mind, you can pause or stop using the service at any time, just let us know.

Note that this pilot is only open for 6 months, until the end of March 2027. If the pilot is successful, we hope to be able to offer this service to more people in 2027.

I have other questions

If you’ve any questions, you can get in touch by calling 011 4263 6473 or emailing metastatic121@breastcancernow.org. We'll be happy to help.