FAQs
Find out more about how you can get involved with shaping Macmillan's future with these answers to some frequently asked questions
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About the strategy
Why is Macmillan doing an open strategy?
The external world is changing fast. We are facing huge challenges as the number of people living with cancer is growing, the system can’t keep up, expertise is being lost within the cancer workforce and there are inequalities in the way cancer is treated and diagnosed in the UK. Alongside this, there are changes and opportunities that could be potentially transformative for people with cancer with new technologies, treatments, richer data and information available. At Macmillan, we need to respond to this environment and make sure we are doing the best we can for people with cancer now and into the future.
What is an open strategy and why is Macmillan taking this approach?
An open strategy simply means that we want to involve as many as people as possible and want to hear your views and perspectives. We will be creating our strategy with colleagues, people with lived experience, supporters, volunteers, health and social care professionals, cancer and healthcare experts, and our partners. We are all unique, have diverse experiences and can bring something personal to this next chapter; together we are bound by our passion for doing the best we can for people living with cancer.
The strategy process
What are the timeframes?
In May 2023, Macmillan launched an open process to develop a new organisational strategy. Early work has focused on gathering more insights – from lots of different audiences – to inform the new strategy. Our next step is to review all of these inputs and insights and to continue to explore some big questions. By early 2024, we’ll turn our attention to thinking in more detail about how we will deliver the change we want to see for people living with cancer, with a draft strategy ready to share by summer 2024.
How can I get involved with the strategy process?
Earlier in the year, we invited as many people as possible to have their say by answering a number of questions in a short survey:
- What concerns you most about cancer now?
- What makes you feel hopeful for people with cancer?
- If you had your wish, what are the top 3 things you would like Macmillan to focus on?
We are grateful to the nearly 5000 people from across the UK who responded. We have reviewed every single answer. You can read about the most common themes in our blog update about the survey responses. This input, alongside the other conversations we are having and evidence we are gathering, will help us to make the best possible decisions about how Macmillan should evolve to ensure we are providing the best support for people with cancer now and in the future.