Like many other business leaders, at the start of the year I often find myself assessing the challenges and opportunities facing my organisation and how to navigate these over the next 12 months.
This year has been a bit different. It’s the first in my role as CEO of Clan Cancer Support and I can safely say the challenges facing us, and indeed every other third-sector organisation, are completely unprecedented.
How cost-of-living crisis affects Clan
Despite our income dropping by 70% overnight at the start of the pandemic, Clan survived Covid. But we have now been dealt a fresh blow as the cost-of-living crisis deepens.
Recent figures from the Resolution Foundation predict UK households will be £2,100 a year worse off, even as inflation comes down.
It’s clear we can no longer rely on traditional fundraising as an income generation stream to the extent we used to, as families rightly prioritise their own needs over those of a charity.
The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis have also made people reprioritise how they spend their time – an asset which can almost be considered equivalent to funding for organisations like ours who depend on the generosity of volunteers to deliver key services.
The difficulty is that cancer doesn’t care about Covid, rising costs or what is going on in Russia, Westminster or the North Sea. It continues to affect one in two of us and these external factors simply add further pressure and heartache to patients, their loved ones and medical professionals.
Covid had ‘catastrophic’ impact on cancer patients
While we don’t have data yet to demonstrate the extent of how the cost-of-living crisis is affecting people with a cancer diagnosis, we know the impact of Covid on cancer patients was catastrophic.
Public Health Scotland figures show the devastating reality during the first three months of the pandemic in 2020:
- Approximately 4,000 cancer cases were missed across Scotland
- 400,000 breast, bowel and cervical screenings were postponed
- The number of people who started treatment after being diagnosed via screening was down by 58%.
- There was a 72% reduction in urgent suspected cancer referrals from primary care.
The effects of the pandemic will have a devastating effect on the prognosis of many in the coming years, and we are fully aware of the ongoing strain on the NHS.
Teamed with the pressures arising from the cost-of-living crisis on patients and their loved ones, it’s clear that Clan’s services are needed now more than ever.
Clan’s ‘vital role’
Clan has a vital role in ensuring the communities of north-east Scotland can access support that will help to improve quality of life for cancer patients, their families and carers, consequently reducing the burden on non-clinical services requested from the NHS.
To ensure we do this, one of my first tasks following my appointment last year was to deliver a three-year strategy to allow Clan to focus on its long-term sustainability to ensure we are here for generations to come, providing crucial cancer support services in the heart of the communities we serve.
We’re still fully committed to providing the same level of care to cancer patients and their loved ones that we have now done for almost 40 years.”
We are now well progressed within year one of that plan, which focused on stabilising our business. This has seen us fully review our service delivery, with the aim of balancing our budget without compromising our support of people affected by cancer.
As part of this we relocated our Shetland and north Aberdeenshire centres to well-established community hubs during 2022. These offer us flexible and affordable accommodation which is easily accessible for our clients.
We also reviewed our counselling service and expanded our digital offering, allowing us to reach more clients across our vast geographical region. A new volunteer strategy has been implemented which has already seen us make steady progress to recruit our target of 100 volunteers for the year.
You can now sign up to represent Clan in this year’s @ride_the_north! 🚴♂️
On August 26, cycle your way to victory while raising vital funds to help Clan support people affected by cancer in your local area. 🤩
Sign up now by emailing fundraising@clancancersupport.org pic.twitter.com/VPixm7bcOH
— Clan Cancer Support (@ClanNow) January 5, 2023
Regarding income generation, we’ve renewed the focus on Clan Now – our business arm – which allows us to generate profits. An example of this is the recent launch of our corporate venue hire service, offering our refurbished multipurpose room as a flexible space for local businesses.
Year two of the plan, 2023-24, will see us develop a more strategic approach to maximise occupation in our bed and breakfast facility, The Haven, which is used by patients and loved ones who have to travel to Aberdeen for treatments.
We’ll also work to expand our network of community supporters to help us raise more awareness and income for the charity.
This #SupporterSaturday we’re thanking Connie Strachan and her team at the MACBI Community Hub who raised over £750 for Clan.
Connie hosted an open day to celebrate the venue’s new Smith-Pascoe extension, which is where our Clan North Aberdeenshire centre is based. pic.twitter.com/bXjjbt2WMZ
— Clan Cancer Support (@ClanNow) January 14, 2023
By year three, 2024-25, it is my hope that Clan will be recognised as a centre of excellence for cancer support, with income generation restored to a level that operationally supports our core services – allowing major donations or legacies to fund project work or service expansion.
We’re still fully committed to providing the same level of care to cancer patients and their loved ones that we have now done for almost 40 years. We’re just doing it in a different style, with a sharpened business focus.
Realising these ambitious but achievable priorities will ensure Clan recovers positively, regains stability and continues to provide first-class cancer support services to those who need us now more than ever – and to those who will need us in years to come.
Fiona Fernie is chief executive of Clan Cancer Support, which provides free cancer support to anyone affected by cancer in Aberdeen city and shire, Moray, Orkney and Shetland.
Conversation