The vital role of health charities... and how to help

It is time to talk health... and the vital role of health charities. 

The coming week sees two days to mark global health challenges – on Tuesday 4 February, it is World Cancer Day, with the aim of closing the equity gap in terms of access to treatment, while on Thursday 6 February, it is Time to Talk Day, encouraging conversations around mental health, to reduce the stigma and improve well-being. 

Both days were started by health charities and on both themes, charities have long played a vital and compelling role as health champions. The cause of mental health was pioneered by charities in the UK long before the NHS developed its service offering, while on cancer, charities have been core to the research funding for cancer diagnostics and treatment.

The UK boasts a vibrant and diverse landscape of over 6,000 health charities, each playing a crucial role in supporting people when they are most vulnerable and pressing for innovation to improve health outcomes for the future. 

We have worked with charities such as Anthony Nolan, supporting them to raise the success rate of matches on their organ donor register, and local charities such as Malvern Special Families, pictured here, and Sutton Mental Health Foundation, which has an inspiring commitment to building the lived experience of users across its work.

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These organizations are not just an adjunct to the healthcare system; they are a vital pillar, providing essential services, raising awareness, and advocating for change.   

But who cares for the health carers?

At Pilotlight, a capacity-building charity, we understand that these organizations face numerous challenges, from funding constraints to increasing demand for their services.   

To better understand these challenges and identify how we can best support health charities, we are launching a survey in partnership with the pro bono team at Costello Medical. The firm is an impressive B Corp-certified scientific consultancy working across medical communications and health economics, with 15 years’ experience of providing pro bono work free-of-charge to over 150 non profits in the healthcare sector.

The survey aims to gather insights into the specific needs and priorities of health charities across the UK, including around funding, leadership and scientific expertise.  It uses an established template for understanding organisational support needs, that we first used to look at the different needs of charities and social enterprises working on climate and sustainability. Added to this is a specific section on scientific support needs that health charities may have, whether to generate evidence, communicate the science or advocate for policy improvements.

How You Can Help

We are encouraging all health charities and social enterprises in the UK to participate in our survey. It's a short, open survey that takes approximately fifteen minutes to complete. By sharing their experiences and priorities, they can help us shape our programs and make a real difference in the health charity sector.  Can you help spread the word?

As an incentive, all survey participants will be entered into a draw to win a Gift Hamper packed full of social enterprise gifts to share. The survey is open on 4 February and runs up to 4 April 2025.