A descriptive survey of cancer helplines in the United Kingdom: Who they are, the services offered, and the accessibility of those services

Geraldine M. Leydon, Beth Stuart, Lisa Danquah, Katie Ekberg, Lucy Brindle, Sue Latter, Clare Moynihan, Peter Salmon, Sonia Howe, Elizabeth Stokoe, Paul Little

There are over 1500 UK health helplines in operation, yet we have scant knowledge about the resources in place to support the seeking and delivering of cancer-related telephone help and support. This research aimed to identify and describe cancer and cancer-related helpline service provision: the number of helplines available, the variety of services provided and accessibility of those services. Online national questionnaire survey sent to 95 cancer and cancer-related helplines in the UK RESULTS: 69 (73%) of 95 surveyed cancer and cancer-related helplines completed the survey. Most helplines/organisations were registered charities, supported by donations. 73.5% of helplines had national coverage. Most helplines served all age groups, ethnic groups, and men and women. Only 13.4% had a number that was free from landlines and most mobile networks and 56.6% could only be contacted during working hours. Over 50% of helplines reported no provisions for callers with additional needs. 55% had no clinical staff available to callers. Ongoing support and training for helpline staff was available but variable. While cancer helplines in the UK offer reasonably broad coverage across the country, there are still potential barriers to accessibility. There are also opportunities to optimise the training of staff/volunteers across the sector. There are further prospects for helplines to enhance services and sustain appropriate and realistic quality standards.