David Cameron's decision to give radiotherapy and surgery lower priority than drugs has led to thousands of patients missing out on life-saving treatment - Andrew Gwynne
Andrew Gwynne, Labour’s Shadow Health Minister, responding to the report of the Independent Cancer Taskforce, said:
“Labour welcomes this report by the Independent Cancer Taskforce, which highlights important priorities for improving cancer care that are desperately needed.
“The last Labour Government made huge progress on improving cancer care, but sadly that progress has stalled in recent years. Cancer budgets have been cut, while experts say the Tories’ disastrous NHS reorganisation led to services standing still for two to three years.
“The result is that growing numbers of patients are waiting too long to get tested for cancer and the NHS has repeatedly missed the two-month waiting-time target for cancer treatment too. When it comes to cancer, speed is everything and patients are being badly let down by the Tories.
“On cancer treatment, the report is right to highlight that many radiotherapy machines are out of date. David Cameron’s decision to give radiotherapy and surgery lower priority than drugs has led to thousands of patients missing out on life-saving treatment and means that many machines are now in urgent need of replacement.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. The Tories published a document in the dying minutes of the last Parliament admitting that the NHS won’t meet the cancer treatment target for another year
The NHS England Business Plan 2015-2016, was released at 9.24pm on Friday 27 March 2015 – the last working day before the dissolution of parliament.[1]
Page 11 of the document reveals that the cancer treatment target, which has been missed for each of the last four quarters, will not be met again until ‘March 2016’ – the end of Q4 15/16.
“By March 2016 alongside Monitor and NHS TDA, support the NHS to meet NHS Constitution Standards on cancer waiting times.” NHS England Business Plan 2015-2016
This comes despite a previous commitment to start meeting the cancer target from November 2014 onwards.[2]
The cancer waiting-time target is for 85 per cent of patients to have started treatment within two months of urgent referral for suspected cancer.
Under David Cameron the cancer target has been missed continually since 2013
In the last 12 months alone, 21,629 patients waited longer than 62 days to start their treatment
Q1 2014/15
Number of people receiving first treatment for cancer after 62 days : 5,076
Percentage treated within 62 days : 84.1%
Q2 2014/15
Number of people receiving first treatment for cancer after 62 days : 5,519
Percentage treated within 62 days : 83.5%
Q3 2014/15
Number of people receiving first treatment for cancer after 62 days : 5,330
Percentage treated within 62 days : 83.8%
Q4 2014/15
Number of people receiving first treatment for cancer after 62 days : 5,704
Percentage treated within 62 days : 82.3%
TOTAL number of people receiving first treatment for cancer after 62 days:
21,629
Source: NHS England, Provider Based Waiting Times http://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/category/statistics/provider-waiting-cancer/
Experts have criticised David Cameron’s NHS reorganisation for hitting cancer services
Cancer experts say the NHS reorganisation has been “hampering efforts” to improve care and that it led to cancer services “standing still” for the last two to three years.
“The set of contextual circumstances arising from the reforms, combined with the lack of resources to provide any ‘headspace’ were seen as hampering efforts to develop services and improve performance. Many interviewees spoke of a hiatus, with cancer services ‘standing still’ for the last two to three years.”
Cancer Research UK – ‘Measuring up? The health of NHS cancer services’ http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/sites/default/files/measuring_up_health_of_nhs_cancer_services_sept2014.pdf
Cancer charities have also said that the reorganisation led to cancer services being “neglected”.
“Cancer commissioning is in a state of utter confusion and uncertainty. The NHS Reforms have made commissioning much more complex. We’re worried this mess means some cancer services… are being completely neglected in certain parts of the country. “
Director of Policy and Research at Macmillan Cancer Support http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/11077656/NHS-cancer-services-are-close-to-collapse-it-is-warned.html
