Future of Cancer Services in England - Why Improvements Are Being Hindered
-- Current funding system has "worrying implications" for cancer services, exacerbating 'postcode prescribing'
-- GPs lack specialist knowledge to identify and appropriately refer cancer patients
Recent government changes to the way cancer services are funded and organised are hindering progress towards eliminating postcode prescribing and ending delays in diagnosis and treatment, according to a report launched today by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer at its annual Britain Against Cancer conference.
The report says that many of the country's 302 Primary Care Trusts - which now spend more than 75% of the NHS budget - are "struggling", and that as a result there are "worrying implications for the provision of all NHS services but particularly for national priority areas like cancer."
The report is the result of a parliamentary inquiry into the future of cancer services in England at which representatives of more than fifty Cancer Networks, Primary Care Trusts, Strategic Health Authorities, the Department of Health, the pharmaceutical industry and patient groups gave evidence over the summer.
Witnesses to the inquiry agreed that Primary Care Trusts lack experience - and in many cases expertise - in commissioning cancer services. The report says that PCTs are therefore not well placed to spend cancer funding and that the money should go directly to the country's 34 Cancer Networks.
Ian Gibson, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer, said: "The inquiry has exposed a serious problem. The government rightly says that cancer is a national priority yet the system that's expected to deliver it is too fragmented. PCTs are struggling to cope and lack experience in commissioning cancer services. The budget for cancer services must therefore go directly to cancer networks to allow them to plan for sustained improvements in cancer care."
Cancer information charity CancerBACUP provides the Secretariat to the All Party Parliamentary Group on cancer and, as such, organised the parliamentary inquiry and co-authored the report. Its Chief Executive, Joanne Rule, said: "This report provides solutions to problems of inequality of access and funding identified by the government earlier this year. Cancer services need specialist commissioning. If not, access to cancer drugs, equipment and services will continue to vary widely from one part of the country to another. Cancer patients deserve more."
The report also says that GPs have difficulty identifying which patients need urgent referral to cancer services. As a result many cancer patients wait too long for diagnosis and treatment. The report recommends that PCTs should set up an ongoing cancer education programme for each GP and monitor urgent and non-urgent referrals.
The report also recommends that data should be collected at both national and local level on the prescribing of cancer treatments recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, and that this information is accessible by clinicians and members of the public.
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Meeting national targets, setting local priorities: the future of cancer services in England
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Notes to Editors:
-- The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer Britain Against Cancer conference takes place from 09.30 on 27th October at Church House, Westminster, London
-- The Future of Cancer Services in England report will be presented at 10.00 by Dr Ian Gibson, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer
-- Health Secretary Dr John Reid will address the conference at 10.30
-- A Britain Against Cancer programme can be obtained at http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk/News/Advocacy/BritainAgainstCancer/BACProgramme.pdf
-- If you would like to attend the conference, please contact the CancerBACUP press office (details below)
For more information during office hours please contact Daisy O'Clee on 0207 920 7219 or Jill Morrell on 0207 920 7220 or email jmorrell@cancerbacup.org.
For more information outside office hours please call 07973 308 346.
1 CancerBACUP is the only national charity that specialises in providing information on all types of cancer.
2 All CancerBACUP services are free to cancer patients, their relatives and friends.
3 CancerBACUP is part of the Department of Health Coalition for Cancer Information, which aims to ensure cancer information is of a high standard and widely accessible.
4 CancerBACUP Freephone Information Service: 0808 800 1234 (Mon-Fri, 9am-7pm). The charity's interactive website can be found at http://www.cancerbacup.org.uk
Viitorul Servicii de Cancer din Anglia - De ce sunt în curs de împiedicatã Îmbunãtãþirile - Future of Cancer Services in England - Why Improvements Are Being Hindered - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate