Our approach

In 1979, our founder Penny Brohn was living with her own cancer diagnosis when she recognised something that medicine alone could not answer: cancer affects the whole person, not just the body. That understanding has been at the heart of Penny Brohn Cancer Care UK ever since.

Support for the whole person

A cancer diagnosis reaches into every part of life: your physical and emotional health, your work, your family and your relationships. So our support does too. We help people strengthen mind, body, spirit and emotions alongside their medical treatment, in ways that fit who they are and what matters most to them.

Everything we offer is free, and everything we do is backed by research. Evidence increasingly shows that supporting physical and emotional resilience can improve quality of life and clinical outcomes for people living with cancer. Most importantly, the people we support tell us it works.

We pioneered this approach. We were supporting the whole person decades before whole-person cancer care became widely talked about, and we have been refining it for over forty-five years.

[VERIFY: years figure, “over 40” vs 44; agree one figure site-wide.]

The NHS saved my life. Penny Brohn UK showed me how to live it

Jennie, supported by Penny Brohn

[Quote is verbatim from the live site and uses the previous name, Penny Brohn UK. Confirm whether to keep verbatim or seek an updated approved version.]

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Explore the four areas of whole-person support

Our support is organised around four connected areas. Wherever you are with cancer, you can start with the area that matters most to you right now and explore from there.

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The six pillars

Within our approach, our services draw on six practical themes, or pillars. Each offers somewhere to start.

Eat well

A positive, practical approach to food and nutrition with cancer: simple changes that are affordable, sustainable and enjoyable.

Rest and relax

Restorative sleep and real rest nourish your physical and emotional resilience. We can help you find ways to rest body and mind that work for you.

Move more

Physical activity helps nearly everyone with cancer, before, during and after treatment. Our exercise specialists help you find safe, enjoyable ways to move, whatever your situation.

Mind and emotions

Difficult emotions are a normal part of the cancer experience, and you are not alone with them. Counselling and group support can help you cope and feel more yourself again.

Lift your spirits

Time in nature, music, art, movement and moments of joy all matter, especially at the hardest times. We offer uplifting ways to reconnect with the things you love.

Feel better

Managing symptoms and the side effects of treatment may feel like the most important thing right now. Our programmes and consultations offer personal guidance and support.

[VERIFY: definitive pillar set and wording; staff use slightly different framings.]

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An approach backed by evidence

We are committed to services that are high quality and make a measurable difference. Our Evaluation, Evidence and Insight team studies what we do and how well it works, and we share what we learn.

We work alongside the NHS and with partners including GenesisCare, so that whole-person support sits with medical treatment, never instead of it.

You can read more about our outcomes, research and reports on Our impact.

Shaped by the people we support

We listen to people with cancer in everything we do. Our Client Voice group brings the experiences of people we support directly into how we design and improve our services, and it reviews our work regularly. If you would like to take part, we would love to hear from you.

[Flag: the group’s formal name is Client Voice, which sits awkwardly with the rule to eliminate “clients” in public copy. Confirm whether the group is being renamed or the name stays as a proper noun.]