Helen DickensSector leader

Biography

Helen Dickens is Chief Support Officer at Breast Cancer Now, the UK's leading breast cancer research and support charity, headquartered in London. She joined the charity in June 2025 in a newly created executive role overseeing support and information services, healthcare professional and nursing teams, and the charity's policy, evidence and influencing portfolio. Her career spans more than 13 years in health charities, including seven years at Diabetes UK — where she led programmes including the Type 2 diabetes prevention programme and its policy, public affairs and campaigns work — as well as roles at Alzheimer's Society and Target Ovarian Cancer, where she served as Director of Programmes and then Deputy Chief Executive. She is known for publicly championing breast cancer screening equity, having given evidence to the London Assembly Health Committee in January 2026 on the persistently low breast screening uptake in London and the health inequalities driving it.

References

1. 1.Helen Dickens announced as new chief support officer at Breast Cancer Now — Confirms role title, appointment date (June 2025), prior roles at Target Ovarian Cancer and Diabetes UK, and press contact details
2. 2.Helen Dickens | Breast Cancer Now — Confirms current responsibilities (support services, healthcare professional teams, policy/evidence/influencing) and career history including Alzheimer's Society and Diabetes UK
3. 3.London behind on breast cancer screening | London Assembly — Confirms Dickens gave evidence to London Assembly Health Committee, January 2026, as a named panellist
4. 4.London services must collaborate to address low breast screening uptake | Breast Cancer Now — Quotes Dickens on breast cancer screening inequalities in London and her public advocacy position

Expertise

Cited on

• Hospital discharge / bed-blocking

Stated areas of expertise

• Breast cancer screening uptake
• Health inequalities
• Cancer support services
• Policy and public affairs
• Charity sector leadership
• Patient influencing and advocacy

Notable achievements

• Gave evidence to the London Assembly Health Committee in January 2026 on barriers to breast cancer screening in London, representing Breast Cancer Now's briefing 'No One Left Behind: Opportunities to Improve Breast Screening in London'. Source ↗
• Appointed as Chief Support Officer at Breast Cancer Now in June 2025, a newly created executive role designed to expand the reach and uptake of the charity's support services and lead its influencing portfolio. Source ↗

What they’ve said

• “The figures were 'devastating' and she was 'deeply concerned' that many patients were facing very long waits for treatment. 'More must be done to reverse these alarming trends,' she said.”

  chief support officer at Breast Cancer Now · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · Three in four English hospitals failing to hit two cancer targets in league tables ↗

Source references

1. Three in four English hospitals failing to hit two cancer targets in league tablestheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://breastcancernow.org/about-us/our-people/helen-dickens
• Xhttps://x.com/HelenJDickens
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/helen-dickens-0388992
• Press office emailpress@breastcancernow.orgpublished here ↗

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.