In 2000-2001, the Cancer Support Service specialist nurses answered 54,549 enquiries (including the helpline, local centres, letters, and email enquiries). The charity also distributed over a quarter of a million copies of its 56 booklets and 90+ factsheets.

The service introduced systematic quality management, including more robust monitoring of calls, to maintain and improve standards. CancerBACUP was one of the first charities in the country to be awarded the quality mark of the Telephone Helplines Association.

In February, the New Opportunities Fund approved funding for a project to make CancerBACUP’s services more accessible to ethnic minorities. The funding will cover the appointment of a specialist cancer information nurse focussing on access for ethnic minorities and an outreach project officer to link to local projects. It will also cover publication of a ‘how to do it’ toolkit, the installation of Languageline on the helpline in the second year, and associated training.