Future Dreams - Mind the Gap
Exposing the psychological support gap after cancer treatment.
The Brief
Finishing cancer treatment is supposed to be the moment patients have been working towards; but for many people, it can also be the point at which intensive medical care ends while the psychological impact of cancer continues.
Future Dreams wanted to shine a light on what happens after treatment, specifically whether people across England are receiving the emotional and psychological support they need as they move into life beyond cancer.
There was also a wider policy challenge. Against a backdrop of political change at Westminster, Future Dreams wanted to help ensure commitments to improving cancer care and outcomes were not lost among competing priorities.
The challenge was therefore bigger than generating awareness. We needed to build a credible national story that could demonstrate the scale of the problem, give patients a voice and keep post-treatment support firmly on the agenda.
The Approach
Defined submitted 117 Freedom of Information requests to NHS Trusts across England, with 81 responses analysed to build a picture of the psychological support available to patients after cancer treatment.
The findings revealed significant inconsistencies in provision and gave the campaign something essential: original evidence of a problem that had largely existed beneath the surface.
But data alone wasn't enough. We combined the NHS findings with Future Dreams' own insight, powerful testimony from people who had experienced the reality of life after treatment and expert commentary to demonstrate the human consequences behind the numbers.
Together, these elements exposed what we called the 'cancer cliff' - the point at which active treatment ends, regular medical contact reduces, but the emotional impact of cancer can continue long afterwards.
The Campaign
The campaign was designed to work across national news, consumer media, regional press and broadcast.
The FOI data provided the evidence and national news hook. Lived experience gave the story its emotional weight. Expert voices provided context and authority around why psychological support after cancer matters.
A dedicated broadcast media day enabled Future Dreams spokespeople and a patient case study to take the campaign directly to audiences across the country.
Importantly, the campaign didn't simply identify a gap. It also gave Future Dreams an opportunity to explain the support available to people beyond active treatment and demonstrate the charity's role in helping people navigate life after breast cancer.
The result was a campaign that moved the conversation beyond diagnosis and treatment and towards a question that receives far less attention: what happens when treatment ends?
The Results
The campaign generated 355 pieces of coverage, including:
323 broadcast hits
6 national pieces
12 consumer pieces
10 regional pieces
263m+ combined reach
100% of coverage carrying at least one key campaign message
Coverage included Sky News, The Independent, Daily Express, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, ITV, LBC, Times Radio and BBC local radio, alongside extensive consumer and regional coverage across the UK.
The strength of the story meant it could travel across very different media environments - from national news and live broadcast interviews to regional coverage that made the issue relevant to patients in communities around the country.
Beyond the Numbers
For Future Dreams, the campaign created more than a moment in the media - it strengthened the charity's position as a leading voice on cancer survivorship and helped broaden the conversation beyond diagnosis and treatment to what happens afterwards.
Crucially, the campaign also helped keep post-treatment support on the agenda at a time of considerable political change at Westminster. In response to the issue being raised, the NHS reaffirmed its commitment to the national cancer plan and to improving outcomes for people after cancer treatment, including psychological support.
The campaign also secured public backing from the British Psychological Society, adding further authority to the issue and creating an opportunity for Future Dreams to explore future collaboration around psychological support and cancer survivorship.
Alongside this, millions of people were introduced to Future Dreams and the support it provides, helping more people understand that support can continue beyond active treatment.
By combining original NHS data with lived experience and expert voices, Mind the Gap turned an overlooked part of the cancer experience into a national story and created a credible evidence base that Future Dreams can continue to build on through future campaigning, partnerships and policy conversations.
Most importantly, it helped ensure the psychological needs of people living beyond cancer treatment remained part of the national conversation.