Cancer is a disability: what does that mean for spas?

It’s widely reported that in the UK, one in two people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. In 2015 there were an estimated 890,000 people of working age living with cancer in the UK. This is set to increase to 1,150,000 by 2030. A study last year also reported that worldwide cancer cases in those under the age of 50 are up nearly 80% in three decades.

With all of that in mind, it’s more important than ever that we change the way we talk about and act when it comes to supporting people who have had a cancer diagnosis. As service providers we can’t act as though cancer is an anomaly amongst our clients. Instead, we have to make proactive choices and look for ways in which we can support them in the context of their relationship with us.

Importantly, that changing relationship is reflected formally in legislation. In the UK, this features most prominently in the Equality Act 2010, which recognises cancer as a disability. That moves the dial completely when it comes to supporting cancer patients, not only making it a moral imperative, (and arguably a commercial one) but a legal one as well.

Cancer and the Equality Act 2010

The definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 is:  “You’re disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.” 

When it comes to cancer, this applies from the point of diagnosis and for the rest of that person’s life, including where there is no evidence of disease. After all, it’s important for us to acknowledge that people diagnosed with cancer often have life changing and lifelong conditions and disabilities caused by the cancer, treatment or medication they need to take as part of their new normal.

The Equality Act 2010 replaced existing anti-discrimination laws with a single act, intending to simplify the law, remove inconsistencies and make it easier to understand and comply with. It also strengthened the law to help tackle discrimination and inequality. It did this in part by identifying different types of discrimination, which in part helps individuals and businesses understand if an experience can be considered discriminatory. According to the government’s quick start guide for service providers, these are:

• Direct disability discrimination: when someone receives worse treatment than someone who does not have a disability.
• Discrimination arising from disability: when a person is treated unfavourably because of something connected with their disability and the unfavourable treatment cannot be justified.
• Indirect disability discrimination: when there is a rule, a policy or a practice that applies to everyone but which particularly disadvantages people with a particular disability compared with people who do not have that disability. It also cannot be shown to be justified as being intended to meet a legitimate objective in a fair, balanced and reasonable way.

What does cancer under the Equality Act mean for service providers?

The Government’s guide details who has responsibilities under the Equality Act, saying: “The Act applies to all service providers and those providing goods and facilities in Great Britain. This includes, for example, those providing information, advice and day care or running leisure centre facilities. It applies to all your services, whether or not a charge is made for them. It also applies to private clubs and other associations with 25 or more members which have rules about membership and select their members.”

Of course, the reason for this Act is to help protect people, including cancer patients, and make sure they’re given fair treatment – something which we would all hope for. In doing so, it imposes duties on service providers (like spas). For example, they are required to make reasonable changes, where needed, to improve services for disabled customers or potential customers.

Citizens Advice explains it saying: “Traders and service providers must remove the barriers you face because of your disability so you can access and use their goods and services in the same way, as far as this is possible, as someone who’s not disabled. The Equality Act 2010 calls this the duty to make reasonable adjustments.”

Meanwhile, the government guide says: “The Equality Act 2010 requires that service providers must think ahead and take steps to address barriers that impede disabled people.”

Why is this relevant to spas, therapists and spa businesses?

Discrimination against those affected by cancer is not unusual. Invariably it’s not intentional either, especially in the wellbeing world. Nonetheless, that isn’t rationale that businesses can justify any longer.

Historically, those affected by cancer have often been turned away from spas and other wellbeing practices because of fear, a lack of training, misinformation and inadequate insurance policies. While that reasoning is understandable, thanks to the work of pioneering trainers, it’s no longer valid in most cases. Once upon a time there was no option for wellbeing practitioners when it came to supporting those living with and beyond a cancer diagnosis. Now however, that simply isn’t the case.

The emphasis is on this point of ‘reasonable’ change. Much like you might provide accessible facilities such as hearing aids or improved structural access to a building for someone in a wheelchair, it seems reasonable (and prudent) to consider appropriate therapist training for cancer patients if you don’t have it in place already, given that appropriate training is now available.

As Citizens Advice highlights: “If a service provider refuses to make reasonable adjustments, it’s unlawful discrimination and you can challenge it and take action under the Equality Act.”

Helping people feel human again

Of course, with all this legal talk, it’s also important to note that as an industry we help people. Across all aspects of the wellbeing sector, this is a caring profession aimed at making people feel better than they did when they came to us. That might be about offering experiences that are purely about indulgence or it might be about providing deeper wellbeing support.

Every therapist we have ever spoken to has been forced to turn a client away at some point because they’ve revealed a cancer diagnosis, and each time the therapist (let alone the client) has been devastated as a result. No one we have ever met has been looking for a way to avoid treating cancer patients – they have always been frustrated and saddened by having their hands tied. That is no longer the case. We know we can’t treat cancer, but now we can treat the person with cancer and that’s profoundly meaningful and important.

If you are looking for an SATCC approved spa, salon or therapist please head to our Therapist Finder, or if you are a spa business or independent therapist looking to arrange training for yourself or your team, please contact us about an introduction to one of our SATCC Approved Training Providers.