Here for You

The service is designed to support everyone newly diagnosed with breast cancer early in their cancer experience. This includes patients with primary and secondary - or metastatic - breast cancer. 

For patients with a primary diagnosis, we recommend referrals be made before treatment starts. We understand that pathways for patients with a secondary diagnosis can vary, and so recommend that healthcare professionals use their discretion as to when a referral is most appropriate for their patients. But we’d expect this to be within the first six months of a diagnosis. 

Breast Cancer Now has a dedicated legal team that reviews all our processes to ensure they are fully GDPR compliant. Before making a referral, you must gain the patient’s consent to share their personal details with us. You will be asked to confirm this within the referral form.  

Once we receive a referral, we let the patient know that we’ve been sent a referral on their behalf, inform them how we will handle their personal data, and give them the opportunity to decline the referral to Here for You.   

Information is then sent to one of our volunteers so they can contact the patient directly. This information is sent securely using a password protected platform. All Breast Cancer Now staff and volunteers are trained in data security and our processes are continually reviewed. 

Further information about how we protect data is publicly available and can be found in our privacy policy.  

We have robust policies and procedures in place to safeguard service users and ensure we identify and respond appropriately to concerns. All Breast Cancer Now staff are trained in safeguarding awareness and our procedures are reviewed and updated regularly. They are built on a framework of: 

• Recognising 
• Responding 
• Reporting 
• Recording 
• Reviewing

Breast Cancer Now has 45 years of experience in recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers.  We currently have over 6,000 volunteers supporting the charity.  

We’ve developed a role description that outlines the key skills volunteers need. Volunteers will understand how a patient may be feeling. They aren’t trained counsellors or healthcare professionals, so they won’t provide clinical information or advice. Some volunteers have had experience of breast cancer, although this isn’t compulsory for the role. 

We advertise our roles on our website and recruitment sites. Volunteers go through a robust selection, vetting, and interview process to make sure they’re suitable for the role. 

Hear from Moke and Lorraine and learn why they're Here for You volunteers.

Volunteers complete an eight-hour training course, in addition to mandatory training on safeguarding and data protection. Training ensures that volunteers understand: 

• The boundaries of the role 
• The impact of a breast cancer diagnosis 
• How to actively listen to concerns 
• How to share information on what Breast Cancer Now support is available.

Staff members are on hand during office hours to provide support to volunteers. Our dedicated Volunteer Team also provides ongoing guidance, training, and support. We organise regular supervision sessions with volunteers to gain feedback and support their personal wellbeing. Our experience, dedicated resources, and feedback processes ensure our volunteer activity is safe and effective. 

Here for You is only available following a referral from a healthcare professional. From our experience, many people don’t feel confident contacting charities, or they may not understand the support they can provide. This can often increase inequalities, as some groups are more likely to access support than others. Our intention is that healthcare professionals will routinely offer all newly diagnosed patients a referral to Here for You, helping to reduce these disparities. People can self-refer to other Breast Cancer Now services directly if they decide to take up support later. 

Volunteers are trained to listen and understand the needs of people with breast cancer. While we recognise people may have needs outside of the support Breast Cancer Now offers, our aim is to encourage them to access our specialist and trusted services. If appropriate, we may encourage patients to access support from other trusted organisations, where we are confident about their quality and safety. Our volunteers will also encourage patients to speak to their healthcare teams when appropriate – for example, if their concerns are clinical or relating to their personal treatment plan.

We’ve developed an evaluation framework to monitor the quality and effectiveness of Here for You. We will collect and analyse quantitative and qualitative feedback from patients, volunteers and healthcare professionals to measure outcomes and ensure the service is meeting its aims.