Detailed plans to
transform cancer care in England and save thousands of extra lives
each year were announced today by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
Overall these plans will drive up England’s cancer survival rates
so that by 2014/15 an extra 5,000 lives will be saved every year.
Improving Outcomes – A Strategy for Cancer,
sets out how the Government, NHS and public can prevent cancer,
improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services and move
towards achieving outcomes which rival the best in Europe.
The Strategy – backed with more than £750 million over four years
– sets out a range of actions to improve cancer outcomes, including:
diagnosing cancer earlier; helping people to live healthier
lives to reduce preventable cancers; screening more
people;introducing new screening programmes; andmaking sure that
all patients have access to the best possible treatment, care and
support.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:
“Cancer affects us all. Everyone will have a story of someone
they love battling the disease. In those instances we all need to
know that the NHS will be there for us.
“Our ambition is simple, to deliver survival rates among the best
in Europe and this strategy outlines how we will make our first
steps towards this.
“The Coalition Government’s reforms of health and care services
will drive improvements in what matters most to patients and their
families – cancer outcomes. Our commitment is to save 5,000 extra
lives a year from 2014/15 and that is what we will be measuring
our success against.”
Central to these plans is an investment of more than £450 million
to increase earlier diagnosis. This money will fund increased GP
access to diagnostic tests and more testing and treatment in
secondary care. It will also go towards Public Health England –
the new public health service - to promote screening and raise
awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer.
Over the Spending Review period, this will allowfor primary
care access to over two million extra tests, in addition to
funding increased testing and treatment in secondary care. Tests include:
- chest x ray – to aid in diagnosing lung cancer;
- non-obstetric ultrasound – to support the diagnosis of ovarian
and other cancers;
- flexible sigmoidoscopy/colonoscopy – to support the diagnosis
of bowel cancer; and
- MRI brain scans – to support the diagnosis of brain cancer.
In addition, the Government will provide extra investment to
increase access to radiotherapy and ensure all patients are able
to get this critical treatment.
Care Services Minister, Paul Burstow said:
“We are committed to updating the NHS to make it more patient
centred. This strategy shows how this will work for our cancer services.
“This Strategy rejects the top-down approach of the past which
has stifled innovation and creativity. Instead it focuses on how
patients can be empowered and on how clinicians on the frontline
can be supported to deliver excellence for all.”
Improving Outcomes – A Strategy for Cancer,
is the first of a number of outcomes strategies to be published
following on from the White Paper, Equity and excellence:
Liberating the NHS.
Outcomes strategies will play a crucial role in translating the
underpinning principles of the Coalition Government’s reforms of
the health and care services into the steps it needs to take to
drive improvements health outcomes; putting patients and the
public first, empowering professionals and strengthening local
accountability .
Professor Sir Mike Richards, the National Clinical
Director for Cancer, said:
“We know the main reason our survival rates lag behind other
countries is because too many people are diagnosed late. This is
why our Strategy focuses on earlier diagnosis which we will
achieve through raising the public’s awareness of the signs and
symptoms of cancer and also providing better access to diagnostic tests.
“But improving outcomes for people with cancer isn't
just about improving survival rates. It is also about improving
patients' experience of care and the quality of life for
cancer survivors and our Strategy also sets out how that will be tackled.”
Other plans outlined include:
- supporting commissioners by improving the information available
on cancer services and the outcomes they deliver;
- improving the information patients receive about the services
and treatments available;
- promoting the uptake of the latest surgical procedures and
reducing regional variation in access to treatment;
- stimulating community action through the development of a
national partnership scheme;
- accelerating work to incentivise payments, including the
development of tariffs for chemotherapy and radiotherapy;
- piloting a national cancer survivorship survey in 2011;
- piloting data collection on the number of women with secondary
breast cancer;
- implementing HPV testing as triage for women with mild or
borderline cervical screening test results; and
- supporting cancer research through providing £4.7 million
funding from this month for five years for a policy research unit
on cancer awareness, screening and early diagnosis.
Also published today is a review of the current cancer waiting
times which confirms that on current evidence these are clinically
justified and have been beneficial to patients. The standards will
therefore be maintained without change.
The Strategy and related documents can be downloaded at
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_123371
Ends
Notes to editors
For media enquiries only contact the Department of Health
newsdesk on 020 7210 5221.
Outcomes strategies set out how the NHS, public health and
social care services will contribute to the ambitions for progress
agreed with the Secretary of State in each of the high-level
outcomes frameworks.
The launch of Improving Outcomes – A Strategy for Cancer follows
plans announced over the first six months of the Coalition
Government, including:
Improving the cervical cancer screening programme by the
roll-out of HPV triage;Investment of £25 million in 2011/12 to
begin improving primary case access to key diagnostic
tests;Raising cancer awareness, through a £10.75 million signs and
symptoms campaign, which will focus on breast, lung and bowel
cancers;Increasing detection through a revolutionary new bowel
cancer screening technology flexible sigmoidoscopy – saving 3,000
lives a year; Providing cutting-edge cancer therapies, through our
commitment to invest £50 million in additional cancer drugs this
year and a £200 million per year for a Cancer Drugs Fund until the
end of 2013;Boosting the number of specialists, by committing the
funding needed to deliver 1,200 additional specialists involved in
cancer services by 2012; andIntroducing better treatment, by
expanding radiotherapy capacity by investing around £50 million
more over the Spending Review period so that all high priority
patients with a need for proton beam therapy get access to this
cutting edge treatment.
Contacts:
Department of Health
Phone: 020 7210 5221
NDS.DH@coi.gsi.gov.uk