Patient navigator impact

Being diagnosed with blood cancer can be overwhelming. Many patients have questions about their condition and treatment. They also want to know what support is available to them.

Patient Navigators work alongside healthcare teams to provide this. They offer practical and emotional support at key moments, when patients need it most.

Navigators help patients understand their diagnosis and treatment options. They signpost to support services offered by Leukaemia Care and other organisations. They also act as a link between patients, families and healthcare professionals. They guide people to the help they need and help them access it.

In 2025, our Patient Navigators:

• Supported 921 patients
• Worked across 19 hospitals in the UK
• Provided more than 2,500 appointments to patients and families

Feedback from patients shows the value of this support:

• More than 70 in 100 patients said they felt more confident thanks to their navigator
• Almost 90 in 100 patients said they knew more about where to get further help and support

Our Patient Navigators help patients where and when they need it most - in hospital.

Leukaemia Care commissioned an evaluation of the Patient Navigator programme. We wanted to better understand how the service helps people affected by blood cancer. Plus, the wider benefits it brings to patients, healthcare teams and society.

We had support to carry out the evaluation. We involved University of Oxford students and social value specialists Moore Kingston Smith. With their help, we were able to include:

• Surveys with patients
• Interviews with Patient Navigators
• Feedback from nurses
• Analysis of the wider social value created by the programme

What patients told us

Support from a Patient Navigator led to improvements in patients' experiences of care:

• 71 in 100 patients felt more emotionally supported
• 71 in 100 patients felt more confident asking questions or raising concerns with their healthcare team
• 66 in 100 patients felt more able to manage their condition day to day
• 90 in 100 said their care felt well coordinated
• 88 in 100 said they now knew where to turn for further help

These results show that Patient Navigators helped people. Patients felt more informed, more confident and better supported throughout their treatment journey.

What nurses told us

Nurses working alongside Patient Navigators also reported improved care experiences for patients.

Healthcare professionals said Navigators:

• Provided valuable emotional and psychosocial support
• Spent dedicated time with patients that clinical staff often could not
• Improved engagement with patients
• Helped reduce workload pressure on specialist nurses
• Integrated well into hospital care pathways.

Wider impact

The Patient Navigator programme had wider social and economic value:

• Every £1 invested in the Navigator programme created £35.72 in social value
• If the benefits lasted for two years, this would increase to £57.76 for every £1 invested
• Significant healthcare savings could result from enabling nurses to focus on clinical care

We found out that many people supported by the programme live in more deprived areas. So, the service may also help reduce health inequalities.