Mental well-being in cancer care

On 10 October each year, we pause and reflect on World Mental Health Day.

The theme of this year’s campaign: ‘It is Time to Prioritise Mental Health in the Workplace’. 

This is a particularly timely subject for ECO, which has been highlighting the growing crisis within the cancer workforce in Europe. Unprecedented staff shortages are having a profound impact on doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other cancer care professionals who struggle to cope in the face of diminished resources and funding.

The theme is also reflected in Ursula von der Leyen’s Political Guidelines for 2024-2029, announced this summer in a plenary session at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The President of the European Commission committed to ‘step up the work on mental health at work’.

A survey earlier this year collected the personal and professional experiences of healthcare professionals across Europe. ECO and our partners are currently analysing the results, which will be published in the coming months. They will help inform specific recommendations for improving working conditions and the wellbeing of those on the frontlines of cancer care.

But there's more, much more.

Here are just some of the many other ECO efforts on mental health in support of healthcare professionals and cancer patients alike:

• ECO's Survivorship and Quality of Life Network focuses on a person’s well-being after a cancer diagnosis. In recent months, the network has worked on tackling the financial discrimination suffered by cancer survivors. This network also works closely with the Inequalities Network to ensure its initiatives are inclusive across Europe. There are still far too many disparities among minority groups and within certain regions when it comes to the psychological and social aspects of cancer care.

• The European Cancer Roadmap to 2030 includes several recommendations on improving the mental health of cancer patients, survivors and the healthcare professionals working in oncology. ECO is strongly promoting the Roadmap to the new European Commission for 2024-2029 and members of the new European Parliament.

• The EU co-funded project smartCARE, of which ECO is a consortium member, features a strong focus on the psychological and social aspects of a cancer diagnosis. The project has developed a prototype mobile application called the Cancer Survivor Smart Card following a survey of more than 1,000 people living with cancer in Europe. You can learn more by registering for the project's showcase event on 22 November, which is free for anyone to attend.

• Other projects focused on improving mental well-being include EU Navigate, a project supporting older people with cancer by providing them with ‘patient navigator’ volunteers to provide guidance and companionship. In addition, three new EU-funded projects began in September:
  • Althea will build a web-based platform to screen for mental health issues among cancer patients and their families. It will also support healthcare providers in accessing up-to-date educational materials and delivering tailored psychological support.
  • DESIPOC will develop and pilot a ‘knowledge hub’ and training system in Cyprus, Greece, Lithuania, Romania and Spain.
  • MELODIC will work to improve screening, early detection and efficient and person-centred management of mental health issues in the first year after a cancer diagnosis.

ECO is committed to making a real difference in the psychological well-being of millions of people in Europe living with cancer and the many dedicated men and women caring for them.