Bridging the gap in breast cancer rehabilitation
An online rehabilitation programme is meeting an unmet need for patients dealing with breast cancer treatment, by supporting them to embed daily habits to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, according to a new evaluation by Health Innovation South West.
Gentle Recovery is an online 12-module programme of yoga-based, oncology-informed exercise and wellbeing support for individuals who have had breast cancer.
Founded by physiotherapist and yoga teacher India Gooderham, Gentle Recovery evolved from India’s experience of practicing physiotherapy in the NHS, predominantly in oncology and palliative care, combined with her passion for yoga and expertise in scar tissue therapy.
Through her work, India noticed a need to embed a habit of attending to physical and emotional wellbeing daily through treatment and beyond, while removing barriers to attending in-person classes that some individuals face.
“While working in clinical practice, I observed that women treated for breast cancer received excellent care during the active phase of treatment, but once treatment ended, access to rehabilitation was often limited”, said India.
Gentle Recovery was born to bridge this gap; offering a holistic route back to physical, psychological and emotional recovery that individuals can embrace online, with no need for in-person interaction.
The programme comprises a range of digital support, including daily yoga-based oncology exercise sessions, a daily walking programme, lymph drainage exercises, educational modules on nutrition, sleep and menopause, audio-relaxation exercises, access to an online community hub and Q&A space.
In 2024, Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust subsidised places on the Gentle Recovery programme for 23 breast cancer patients in its Breast Care Unit.
After a promising pilot, Gentle Recovery was selected by Health Innovation South West in 2024 as part of a competitive selection process for our Cancer Innovation Challenge – a one-year programme to support innovators to understand the conditions for success in scaling and spreading their innovation tackling cancer.
The evaluation provided an invaluable opportunity to refine the programme and collaborate with experts who could help shape its future.
As part of the Cancer Innovation Challenge, we worked with India to understand the impact that Gentle Recovery has on patients who have had breast cancer, through a mixed-methods evaluation comprising interviews and surveys.
Most patients surveyed said they felt their motivation to make positive shifts in their life had changed. Using the Gentle Recovery programme had improved their physical health, and their levels of stress, anxiety and low mood.
Crucially, because the programme was undertaken online, rather than in-person, it enabled patients to fit the classes and practices easily into their daily lives at a time that suited them, keep the nature of their diagnosis private, and attend if they were time-poor, if their health restricted them, or if they lived in rural areas.
Rosie Graham, Programme Manager at Health Innovation South West, said: “Real world evaluations are important for helping us to understand how an idea works in an operational environment with patient-facing challenges. The evaluation of Gentle Recovery at Torbay Hospital suggests the online programme can enhance resilience and recovery in breast cancer patients. It also demonstrates how investing in digital tools can improve access and reduce inequalities in rural communities like those in the South West, with limited access to in-person rehabilitation.”
For India, the evidence will be useful for building a business case to engage Integrated Care Boards with potential adoption of Gentle Recovery in other NHS trusts. “The early results and testimonials were both encouraging and inspiring, providing strong evidence of the benefits Gentle Recovery can offer. This data will be crucial in engaging hospitals who may wish to share the programme with their patients, as well as reassuring women considering joining privately.”
There are over 56,000 new cases of breast cancer in women every year in the UK. Improving how we diagnose and treat cancer is a national and regional priority.
At Health Innovation South West we are supporting innovations tackling cancer care. Alongside Gentle Recovery, our Cancer Innovation Challenge evaluated Lucida Pi – an AI support tool for prostate cancer, and MySunrise SACT-pre-assessment – a user app to help patients prepare for Systemic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) and attend pre-assessments virtually.
Each evaluation shines a light on where these innovations are adding value, what has worked well or not so well, and what can be learned going forward. Stay tuned for what we’ve learnt from evaluating Lucida PI and MySunrise in the real world.
