Ask our nurses

FAQs

• Is everything I share confidential?

  This is a confidential service. We maintain confidentiality between clients and Breast Cancer Now and the Ask Our Nurses team.

  We ask that you give as much information about yourself and your situation as you can. It will help us reply as fully as possible.

  There are small number of occasions when we may not be able to maintain confidentiality, please see our confidentiality agreement and privacy policy.

• Who will answer my call or question I submit?

  One of our experienced breast care nurses or trained staff will answer your call or reply to your question by email.

  We keep up to date with developments in the diagnosis, treatment and support of breast cancer, and between us we have a wealth of experience supporting people affected by breast cancer.

  Whatever your concern, we'll respond in a friendly, understanding and professional way.

• What kind of questions do you get?

  Some people want general information, others have specific questions, and some people just want to talk.

  Calls and messages might be from:

  • Someone worried about a breast change
  • People waiting for test results
  • Women facing treatment choices, such as whether to have chemotherapy
  • People wanting to talk through the details of their pathology report
  • People recently diagnosed with secondary breast cancer
  • Friends, relatives, partners and children of people with breast cancer
  • Healthcare professionals

  Some people call us once, others call us more regularly.

• Is the helpline free?

  You can call us for free from all UK landlines and mobiles. To make sure everyone can get in touch we have access to a telephone interpreting service, in over 240 languages as well as Relay UK - the prefix is 18001.

• What if I can't get through on the helpline?

  Usually you’ll get through straight away, but at busy times, you may have to wait for a short while. If you’d prefer not to wait, there’s an option to leave a voicemail and we’ll phone you back as soon as we can.

  Out of hours you can also leave us a voicemail and we’ll phone you when we’re next open, usually first thing in the morning.

• I would prefer not to use the helpline. Can I send a message instead?

  We know it can be difficult to talk to someone about breast cancer or breast health in person. We also know that some people prefer to receive information in writing.

  You can send us a question instead - no question is too big or small. We'll aim to back to you by email within 3 working days.

  We're unable to respond to queries from people receiving breast cancer treatment outside the UK as there are differences in health services and care in other countries.