Take5Care+

The award-winning Take Five to Age Well intervention promotes health through simple, evidence-informed actions across five behavioural domains: nutrition, hydration, physical activity, social connection, and cognitive stimulation. Implemented across all four UK nations in 2023 and 2025, it engaged over 5,000 participants, demonstrating high acceptability, scalability, and alignment with NHS prevention and self-management priorities. Behavioural science suggests that diagnosis can create a “teachable moment”, when individuals may be more open to behaviour change. Take Five is co-designed to build self-confidence and empowerment following diagnosis of a long-term condition.

Haematology patients, particularly those with chronic or low-grade malignancies, often experience uncertainty, fatigue, reduced functional capacity, and psychological distress. Many patients are monitored for several years before entering acute cancer care or survivorship services, resulting in fragmented support across secondary, primary, and community care. Some patients are diagnosed with cancer but initially placed on a “watch and monitor” pathway, with clinicians reporting limited to help patients maintain health and develop self-management skills.

Take5Care+ is a tailored support intervention for adults newly diagnosed with haematological neoplasms. It builds on the established Take Five to Age Well model (Take Five), adapting it to address challenges faced by haematology patients after diagnosis and during monitoring. The project responds to a recognised gap in routine care: while clinical pathways address disease management, patients often receive limited support to maintain wellbeing and develop sustainable self-management behaviours. The intervention incorporates prehabilitation principles, encouraging actions that strengthen physical, psychological, and social resilience before treatment or during monitoring.  A pilot is currently running at Northampton General Hospital (NGH).