Mouth Cancer Action Month About mouth cancer Mouth Cancer Action Month Learn about mouth cancer How to spot mouth cancer Mouth cancer risk factors Living with mouth cancer Statistics and reports Mouth cancer statistics Diagnosis to Daily Life The State of Mouth Cancer UK Report 2024 How mouth cancer impacts patients Diet Treatment Relationships Finances and money Mental health Confidence Aftercare Patient journeys Get involved Events and activities Blue Ribbon Appeal Become an ambassador Blue Wednesday Fundraising Need some inspiration? Set up your fundraising page Our current fundraisers Other ways to fundraise Make a donation Who's behind it Oral Health Foundation Support services Downloads Social media posts Oral Health Foundation Home Campaigns & activities Mouth Cancer Action Month Mouth cancer impacts Aftercare and mouth cancer Recovering from mouth cancer goes beyond medical treatment. Patients often face physical, emotional, and practical challenges that require ongoing support. Nutrition advice, speech therapy, and dental care help with eating, swallowing, and speaking. Mental health support, including counselling and peer groups, is key to managing anxiety and depression. Many also need physiotherapy, GP check-ins, and financial guidance. Despite these needs, access to services and clear signposting can be limited, making a joined-up, patient-centred approach to aftercare essential. What do patients have to say about aftercare services? We asked 95 mouth cancer patients what they thought of the aftercare services available to them. This is what they had to say. Aftercare services accessed by mouth cancer patients Access to aftercare is varied, with nutrition and therapy most common, but lower uptake of mental health and other services shows clear gaps that need addressing. Nutrition support was the most common, underlining its central role in recovery, followed by speech therapy and dental checks (35), both vital for those affected by mouth and throat treatments. Patient support groups and services such as Maggie’s Centres or Macmillan highlight the importance of peer connection and holistic support. Physiotherapy and GP support were also accessed, reflecting needs for both physical recovery and ongoing medical oversight. Mental health support was less frequently received, despite the psychological challenges many face. A smaller number accessed other types of care, including pain management clinics, pointing to gaps in provision and variability in support pathways. Patients' ideal aftercare priorities There is a clear gap between the support patients say they were able to access and what they believe an ideal aftercare package should include. Nutrition and mental health support were rated just as highly as essential, showing equal importance of physical recovery and emotional wellbeing. Dental checks topped the list, reflecting the ongoing impact of treatment on oral health, while GP support highlights the need for regular monitoring and continuity of care. Patient support groups and speech therapy were both seen as crucial, helping patients cope with communication challenges and benefit from shared experiences. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation were considered key to restoring strength and mobility, while support services such as Maggie’s Centres and Macmillan were recognised for their role in providing holistic, localised care. A smaller number mentioned other needs, reflecting more individualised concerns. Together, these findings show that patients see an ideal aftercare system as one that is comprehensive, integrated, and responsive to both medical and emotional needs. Finding aftercare services Experience with accessing and finding aftercare services varied widely, which highlights the need for consistent support across all mouth cancer patients. Stronger, consistent signposting is key to making aftercare easier to navigate and ensuring no patient is left without the support they need. Nearly half of patients relied on both professional signposting and their own research, while 34% depended solely on healthcare providers for guidance. However, 18% had to seek out services completely independently, often struggling without clear direction. These findings underscore the crucial role of professional signposting in ensuring equitable access and the necessity for enhanced communication to prevent patients from having to navigate the system independently. Manage Cookie Preferences
Access to aftercare is varied, with nutrition and therapy most common, but lower uptake of mental health and other services shows clear gaps that need addressing.
Nutrition support was the most common, underlining its central role in recovery, followed by speech therapy and dental checks (35), both vital for those affected by mouth and throat treatments. Patient support groups and services such as Maggie’s Centres or Macmillan highlight the importance of peer connection and holistic support. Physiotherapy and GP support were also accessed, reflecting needs for both physical recovery and ongoing medical oversight. Mental health support was less frequently received, despite the psychological challenges many face. A smaller number accessed other types of care, including pain management clinics, pointing to gaps in provision and variability in support pathways.