This article is more than 4 months old

This article is more than 4 months old

Hundreds of Macmillan nurses have been redeployed to help in the fight against Covid-19, and the charity has said cancer must not become “the forgotten C” during the pandemic.

Around 400 nurses who work for the cancer support charity have been moved to wards in NHS hospitals where there are staff shortages, and the most experienced are likely to be working with coronavirus patients.

Macmillan said this was the first time its professionals had been redeployed in its 109-year history.

The charity predicts it will lose half of its income this year due to fundraising events being cancelled or postponed.

Demand for its services for cancer patients has surged since the beginning of the crisis, with calls about coronavirus to the Macmillan support line rising by 1,600% in March, largely because of concerns about changes to treatment.

Lynda Thomas, the charity’s chief executive, said it was critical that those with cancer needing vital treatment and support were not forgotten.

“For people with cancer right now, these can be terrifying times – isolating at home, separated from loved ones and suddenly being told the treatment and surgery that had felt like their lifeline could be changed or postponed,” she said.

“This is where Macmillan steps in each and every day, providing a safety net for those spiralling into despair. But at a time when our support has become more important than ever, our income faces a staggering drop, and the truth is we can’t continue to be there for all the people who need us without the support of the public.”

The nurses who have been redeployed to work elsewhere are likely to make up a big proportion of Macmillan’s workforce. According to the latest available figures, 1,765 specialist cancer nurses in England – 44% of the total – have “Macmillan” in their job title.

Among those who have been reassigned is Alison Boyd, an information centre manager, who has taken up a role in the family liaison and support team at the NHS Nightingale hospital in London.

In the meantime, volunteers will keep the Macmillan centre at Chelsea and Westminster running by offering phone-based support to patients. Boyd said: “I just want to offer the same skills and compassion that we offer at the Chelwest Macmillan Centre.”

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An emergency appeal is being launched on Friday to help fund virtual services including video calls and virtual workshops to support patients’ wellbeing, a volunteer telephone befriending service for those in isolation, and to recruit new workers.

Last month Macmillan gave out grants to 3,500 people with cancer in financial hardship – a 14% increase compared with the monthly average for 2019 – totalling £1.1m.

Under normal circumstances, during the three months when the coronavirus outbreak is expected to be at its worst in the UK – in March, April and May – the charity estimates there would be around 90,000 people newly diagnosed with cancer.

It said typically around 625,000 people in England and Wales would be referred by their GP for urgent tests for suspected cancer, and at least 40,000 people would require end-of-life support due to the disease.

Macmillan has donated £5m to a coronavirus response fund to support healthcare professionals and the NHS during the crisis.