The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT) have launched a programme to support women with their mental health following treatment for ovarian cancer.

The eight-week pilot scheme – the first of its kind - will bring together experts from the CPFT’s Psychological Wellbeing Service with up to 12 women who have recently been given the all clear from ovarian cancer, which affects roughly 7,100 women a year.

It will also involve the CPFT’s Recovery College, which helps people understand more about their personal mental health challenges.

Christina Jassi, senior clinician with the Psychological Wellbeing Service, who is leading the project for CPFT, said: “Women who go through treatment for ovarian cancer get a lot of support for their physical health during their treatment, but we know there is an issue afterwards surrounding their mental health and how they adjust to life.

“From the conversations we have had with individual women and support groups, we have identified a gap where some women may struggle to come to terms with what has happened to them.

“The overall aim is to provide the programme across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and give women some really useful and practical steps they can take following their treatment. Since September last year, people have been able to refer themselves directly to the Psychological Wellbeing Service, rather than going via their GP. In time, we hope women will also be able to self-refer to the programme.”