Cancer diagnosis is ‘national disgrace’
pharmafile | December 10, 2013 | News story | Sales and Marketing | CCGs, Cancer, NHS, appgc
Cancer care is still dangerously dependent on where patients in England live according to an influential group of MPs and peers, who also call high rates of late diagnosis a ‘national disgrace’.
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer (APPGC) has launched what it calls a ‘call to arms’ as part of the Britain Against Cancer conference which is running today in London.
APPGC chairman John Baron MP, said: “It is a national disgrace that a quarter of all cancers are first diagnosed as late as A&E – late diagnosis makes for poor survival rates.”
“We need to redouble our efforts at every level to promote earlier diagnosis – cancer’s magic key – so that our survival rates catch up with other countries,” he added.
A new report, ‘Cancer Across the Domains: Cancer Priorities for the new NHS’, sets out where the APPGC thinks health services should be focussed in the wake of the massive restructuring of services in England under the Health and Social Care Act 2012.
It comes on the back of a recent OECD report which highlighted that only Poland and Ireland have worse cancer services than the UK in the group of advanced economies, and data from NHS England which suggests that thousands of cancer patients were not referred onto a specialist by their GP.
“Where a person lives should not determine whether or not they are sent to a specialist to have potential cancer symptoms investigated,” the report says. “But, in 2012 there were 784 two-week wait referrals per 100,000 of people in the lowest referring area compared to 3,356 in the highest.”
“Our concern is that the NHS will take its eye off the ball whilst the new structures bed down,” Baron went on. “This must not happen. Our report reflects concerns across the cancer community, and is a call to arms for NHS England to raise its game on behalf of cancer patients.”
The report also points out that what were 27 Cancer Networks have been cut to 12 Strategic Clinical Networks covering a larger area with fewer dedicated cancer staff.
And despite there being an increase in funding for all networks – from £33 million to £42 million – those which deal with cancer will receive a smaller proportion of a larger budget. A freedom of information request revealed that overall this means they will lose 25% of their funding and 20% of their staff, it says.
Ciarán Devane, chief executive at Macmillan Cancer Support – which provides the secretariat for the APPGC – said: “This report highlights the cancer community’s concerns about how cancer services are faring in the new NHS and the APPGC is right to be anxious.”
“In the last week we have seen new figures showing how much catching up we have to do if we are to be average in Europe, let alone the best,” Devane continued.
“Giving GPs the right tools to diagnose cancer, making the right treatment more available and getting aftercare right so people stay well all need relentless focus. We cannot afford to take our eye off cancer when we are only just beginning to see improvement,” he concluded.
Hilary Tovey, assistant director of Policy and Information at Breakthrough Breast Cancer, added: “Breast cancer is not a done deal. It is essential that the NHS is fit for purpose for the 41,000 women, and 350 men, who receive a breast cancer diagnosis in England each year.
She says to achieve this requires a focus on earlier diagnosis, and ensuring fair and routine access to all effective treatments – but also that local plans are in place to ensure that breast cancer prevention is of primary importance.
“At a local level this means that CCGs and Local Authorities must work together with local hospitals to make cancer a priority. Strong national leadership is needed to ensure that patients are not missing out on the best possible care because of where they live.”
Adam Hill
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