About us

We save lives through earlier diagnosis

• We raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of leukaemia and work with healthcare professionals such as GPs, dentists and pharmacists to help them spot leukaemia.
• We help people to understand what leukaemia is and that it can affect anyone at any age.

We campaign for access to effective treatments

• We work with the NHS and other organisations to ensure patients can access the best possible treatment for them, and when they can’t – we advocate on their behalf.

We believe people should get the right information when they need it

• We know that diagnosis and treatment can turn your world upside down – we empower people with accredited information, support from clinical nurse specialists and the opportunity to meet patients diagnosed with leukaemia.

We support healthcare professionals to help their patients

• We empower GPs and other healthcare professionals to spot leukaemia through awareness events and online learning.
•  We provide nurses with tailored conferences, online learning and bursaries to enhance their knowledge of leukaemia and patient care

We conduct research to improve patient experience

• We listen to patients, and using the evidence we gather, improve our services and focus our campaigning.

It all began with a group of parents whose children had leukaemia. Sat around a kitchen table, they decided to set up one of the first ever support groups to help others going through a similar situation. What once started as one, we have grown to over 25 support groups across the UK.

Leukaemia Care registered with the Charity Commission on 11th September 1969 and has since transformed into a national charity with a passionate team of employees, trustees and, of course, volunteers. The charity was originally formed as a children’s leukaemia charity. Nearly fifty years later, Leukaemia Care now offers support to people of all ages affected by any blood or lymphatic cancer.

Our Code of Practice
The purpose of our Code of Practice is to provide clear principles and guidance on how we work with the pharmaceutical industry. It enables us to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to achieve our aims and objectives, without compromising our integrity or impacting on the support offered to anybody affected by a blood cancer.
Our Code of Practice was developed to demonstrate the commitment of Leukaemia Care to adhere to consistent and transparent policies. It is intended to minimise the impact of any real, potential or perceived conflict of interest by regulating how we work with, or accept funding from, the pharmaceutical industry. Leukaemia Care provides information and support to anybody affected by a diagnosis of any blood cancer. As such, we recognise the importance of working collaboratively with all stakeholders with an interest in blood cancers, to ensure that we do our best to meet the needs of patients as well as their carers, families and friends.
Working collaboratively with other stakeholders can enable us to achieve our aims and objectives, often providing opportunities to raise awareness of issues and improve the lives of anybody affected by blood cancer. We recognise that this includes working together with all stakeholders, including members of the pharmaceutical industry. However, it is important that we do so without compromising our integrity or our ability to be independent and unbiased and we recognise the importance of being transparent in all areas of our work. As Leukaemia Care is a charity, we are dependent on external sources of support to fund our activities. Consequently, we are committed to developing a wide variety of long-term dependable sources of income.
Whilst the vast majority of our funding comes from our own fundraising activities and those of our volunteers, any funding we receive from the pharmaceutical industry enables us to provide additional support that would not otherwise be possible. Accepting funding will often be in the best interests of Leukaemia Care and the people we support, but there may be circumstances when this is not the case. In these circumstances we will adhere to the requirements of this document and eschew any offered funding that may threaten to compromise our independence.
We have developed a Code of Practice to provide clear principles and guidance on how we work with the pharmaceutical industry and to ensure that our relationships are ethical, transparent and reflect positively on both organisations. It ensures we can achieve our aims and objectives without compromising integrity or impacting on our reputation as a credible, independent source of information and opinion.

This promise outlines the commitment made to donors and the public by fundraising organisations which register with the Fundraising Regulator. Those who register with the regulator agree to ensure their fundraising is legal, open, honest and respectful. The standards for fundraising are set out in the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Commit to high standards

• We will adhere to the Code of Fundraising Practice.
• We will monitor fundraisers, volunteers and third parties working with us to raise funds, to ensure that they comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice and with this Promise.
• We will comply with the law as it applies to charities and fundraising.
• We will display the Fundraising Regulator badge on our fundraising material to show we are committed to good practice.

Be clear, honest & open

• We will tell the truth and we will not exaggerate.
• We will do what we say we are going to do with donations we
• We will be clear about who we are and what we do.
• We will give a clear explanation of how you can make a gift and change a regular donation.
• Where we ask a third party to fundraise on our behalf, we will make this relationship and the financial arrangement transparent.
• We will be able to explain our fundraising costs and show how they are in the best interests of our cause if challenged.
• We will ensure our complaints process is clear and easily accessible.
• We will provide clear and evidence based reasons for our decisions on complaints.

Be respectful

• We will respect your rights and privacy.
• We will not put undue pressure on you to make a gift. If you do not want to give or wish to cease giving, we will respect your decision.
• We will have a procedure for dealing with people in vulnerable circumstances and it will be available on request.
• Where the law requires, we will get your consent before we contact you to fundraise.
• If you tell us that you don’t want us to contact you in a particular way we will not do so. We will work with the Telephone, Mail and Fundraising Preference Services to ensure that those who choose not to receive specific types of communication don’t have to.

Be fair & reasonable

• We will treat donors and the public fairly, showing sensitivity and adapting our approach depending on your needs.
• We will take care not to use any images or words that intentionally cause distress or anxiety.
• We will take care not to cause nuisance or disruption to the public.

Be accountable & responsible

• We will manage our resources responsibly and consider the impact of our fundraising on our donors, supporters and the wider public.
• If you are unhappy with anything we’ve done whilst fundraising, you can contact us to make a complaint. We will listen to feedback and respond appropriately to compliments and criticism we receive.
• We will have a complaints procedure, a copy of which will be available on our website or available on request.
• Our complaints procedure will let you know how to contact the Fundraising Regulator in the event that you feel our response is unsatisfactory.
• We will monitor and record the number of complaints we receive each year and share this data with the Fundraising Regulator on request.

We strive to provide a high standard of services and support, however, we recognise that sometimes things can go wrong.  If you are unhappy with the service we have provided, then please contact us so we can improve and ensure your experience is not repeated. Please note, we keep a register of all complaints made to Leukaemia Care.  This is a requirement of registration with the Fundraising Regulator who may ask to see a record of fundraising complaints received by us.  We have adopted this approach across all complaints and not just ones regarding fundraising. We will retain records of any complaints for at least 24 months from the date the complaint was made, except where data protection law requires that the information is destroyed earlier than this e.g. where you as the complainant within this timeframe requests that their information is destroyed. This complaints procedure also applies to any third parties fundraising on our behalf.

How do I make a complaint?
Please phone, email or write to the CEO.  In the CEOs absence, please contact the Deputy CEO. If your complaint is about the CEO, then please contact the Chair of Trustees who will liaise with you directly.

The current CEO is Zack Pemberton-Whiteley who can be contacted by phone on 01905 755977 or by email on Zackpw@leukaemiacare.org.uk

The current Deputy CEO is Monica Izmajlowicz who can be contacted by phone on 01905 755977 or by email on monica.izmajlowicz@leukaemiacare.org.uk

The current Chair of Trustees is Christopher Matthews-Maxwell who can be contacted on 0191 460 5844 or by email on mountoncophill@outlook.com

Alternatively, you can write addressing your complaint to the relevant person at Leukaemia Care, One Birch Court, Blackpole East, Worcester, WR3 8SG.  Please mark the envelope “CONFIDENTIAL”.  Please note, the Chair of Trustees is not based at our offices so your complaint will be forwarded unopened to their home address.

Is there a time limit for making a complaint?
It is best to tell us as soon as possible and within 6 months of the event happening or within 6 months of discovering you have cause to complain. Complaints received outside of these timescales may still be investigated if there is a reason the complaint could not be made earlier and only if it is still possible to investigate what happened.

Will my support be affected if I complain about your services?
No. If you make a complaint this will not affect the support you receive from Leukaemia Care in any way. Any information you give will be treated in confidence.

What will happen if I raise my concern?
We will acknowledge your complaint within two working days from the date we receive it. Where possible, we will discuss your complaint with you to understand what has happened. We will also talk about:

• how long it will take us to investigate your complaint – we will report on the outcome of any investigations within 28 days
• what you would like to see happen as a result of your complaint
• the way in which we will investigate your complaint
• how you would like to receive your response – for example, by telephone or letter

Can I get help with making my complaint?
Your local Citizens Advice Bureau can provide you with support in making a complaint.  You can find your local branch through https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

What happens if I am not satisfied with your response to my complaint?
If you are not happy with our response and feel that we have not addressed your concerns, or that we have missed something, please contact us. We will see if there is anything further that we can do to resolve your complaint, and try to address any outstanding issues. If you are not happy with how we have dealt with your complaint and would like to take matters further, we have provided details below of organisations that will help with this. These bodies are independent, and the service they provide is free.

Charity Commission is responsible for registering and regulating charities in England and Wales.  Leukaemia Care’s registered charity number is 1183890. https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity Fundraising Regulator is the independent regulator of charitable fundraising.  If your complaint was about our fundraising practices and you are unsatisfied with our response, then please contact the Fundraising Regulator within two months of receiving our response to your complaint.

Address: 2nd floor, CAN Mezzanine Building, 49-51 East Road, London, N1 6AH
Tel: 0300 999 3407
Email: enquiries@fundraisingregulator.org.uk

Advertising Standards Authority to complain about an advertising campaign you think is offensive, deceptive or inaccurate or the amount of emails or mail you get from a charity.
Address: Mid City Place, 71 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6QT Tel: 020 7492 2222

Our annual report and financial statements for 2019/2020 can be viewed here.