Cancer Care: Why Mental Health Support Must Be Part of Every Cancer Journey 

Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK is proud to support the Daily Express Cancer Care campaign, a powerful series that shines a light on the often unseen emotional toll of cancer – and the urgent need for better psychological support for everyone affected. 

The campaign published over the past three weeks featured voices from across the Oracle Head & Neck Cancer Community, a patient, a clinician and a charity leader, to share their experiences, insights and calls for change. 

1. “Learning to Dance with Uncertainty” – The Patient Perspective 

In the first article, Dr Josephine-Joy Wright, a consultant clinical psychologist, shares her deeply personal journey after being diagnosed with head and neck cancer. 

She describes the shock of diagnosis, the isolation of recovery, and the invisible wounds that follow once treatment ends: 

“The system saved my life, but who looks after me long-term?” 

Despite being a mental health professional herself, Dr Wright was struck by how little psychological care was offered during her treatment. She highlights how radiotherapy and surgery can leave lasting scars – not only on the body, but on confidence, identity and relationships. 

Her story is both moving and urgent: a reminder that mental health care should never be seen as optional. She calls for an “integrated, long-term psychological support system” for every cancer patient from diagnosis through recovery – because healing the person is as important as treating the disease. 

2. “Standing Where Science Meets Suffering” – The Clinician Perspective 

In the second piece, Dr Zsuzsanna Iyizoba-Ebozue – an oncologist and Clinical Lead for Oracle Voices – shares what it’s really like to deliver devastating news to patients every day. 

“Each consultation is a delicate balance between clinical precision and deep human emotion…the emotional toll this takes on us is unspoken.” 

Dr Iyizoba-Ebozue explains that both patients and clinicians face emotional strain: patients coping with fear and uncertainty, clinicians battling compassion fatigue and burnout. She calls for a culture of compassionate care that supports mental health on both sides of the consultation table. 

“Supporting mental health in cancer care must work in both directions. For patients, it means accessible psychological support embedded in services. For clinicians, it means a system that cares for us too.” 

3. “The After Is Harder Than the Treatment Itself” – The Charity Perspective 

In the final article, Gareth Thomas, Interim Chief Executive of Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK, reflects on the experiences shared by patients and clinicians, and the wider systemic issues at play. 

Head and neck cancer is one of the fastest-growing yet least-understood cancers in the UK, affecting more than 17,000 people every year. Treatments are complex and life-changing, and the psychological fallout can be profound. 

“We hear time and again that the ‘after’ is harder than the treatment itself,” says Gareth. “Patients tell us the support they received during care disappears almost overnight once hospital visits stop.” 

Through Oracle’s work, including our Oracle Voices patient advisory group, research funding and support for healthcare professionals, we are fighting to ensure that mental health is recognised as an essential part of cancer care, not an afterthought. 

“We need a system that sees the whole person, not just the tumour,” Gareth adds. 
“Survival is only the first step. Living well afterwards must be the goal.” 

Why This Matters 

These stories reveal the full picture of what living with and beyond cancer really means. They remind us that behind every statistic is a human story of courage, loss and resilience. 

At Oracle Head & Neck Cancer UK, we stand alongside the Daily Express in calling for: 

• Mental health support for every cancer patient from the point of diagnosis through long-term recovery 
   

• Investment in psycho-oncology services across the NHS 
   

• Better emotional support for clinicians, who carry their own burden of care 

Because cancer doesn’t end when treatment does – and no one should face the aftermath alone. 

Read the full articles on the Daily Express website: 

• https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2119207/my-cancer-diagnosis-came-post 

• https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2121593/oncologist-patient-cancer-diagnosis 

• https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2124501/patients-fast-growing-cancer-uk/amp