DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by The Government News Network on
Services will do
even more for patients
Health Secretary Alan Johnson today launched a comprehensive
five-year plan to further improve NHS cancer services.
In the
biggest review of cancer services since the successful Cancer Plan
of 2000, The NHS Cancer Reform Strategy contains a wide-ranging
package of measures to tackle cancer and improve patient care.
Supported by an investment of £370million by 2010, the Cancer
Strategy will transform existing cancer care from prevention and
diagnoses, through to treatment and aftercare - building a
world-class cancer service for NHS patients in England.
Key elements of the strategy include focus on prevention, faster
treatment, extended screening, fast-track drug approval and
extended services for the increasing numbers of people surviving cancer.
Alan Johnson said:
"Today I have pledged that NHS cancer services will do even
more for patients. More to help reduce the risk of developing
cancer, more to ensure access to high quality treatment and more
to deliver care in the most clinically appropriate and convenient
setting for patients.
"Clinicians, patients and cancer charities tell us that
cancer care has improved significantly in the last 10 years thanks
to investment and reform, but I am determined to go further.
"I want to build world class-cancer services that give NHS
patients access to top quality treatment at every stage."
Clinical Director of Cancer Services Mike Richards
said:
"We have made good progress on cancer over the past
10 years thanks to the efforts of many people throughout the NHS
and voluntary sector.
"However, we know there is much more to be done. The
commitments in the Cancer Reform Strategy will enable us to
develop world-class cancer services in this country, saving more
lives and ensuring patients get the care they deserve."
Ciaran Devane, Macmillan Cancer Support chief executive,
said:
"Cancer patients are being diagnosed and treated
much quicker today. As a result, more people are surviving the
disease. The challenge now is to help these growing numbers live
with the long-term medical, emotional and financial effects of cancer.
"Macmillan welcomes the new Cancer Reform Strategy and the
strong emphasis it places on improving patients' quality of life."
Amongst a raft of other measures, the Government will look at how
to make progress on helping people to quit smoking and decreasing
skin cancer rates.
We will consult on banning the sale of tobacco in vending
machines, reducing cigarette displays in shops and whether there
is potential to look again at packaging on cigarettes. The
consultation will end in 2008.
To open the debate about whether we need more regulation of
sunbed use in the UK, we plan a review of the use and number of
sun beds, including how many coin-operated sun beds there are and
where they are. We also need an accurate picture of the extent of
sun bed use by those under 18.
Earlier this year the government announced upto £300 million
funding to cover a programme of immunisation against cervical
cancer. Up to £100 million a year will be provided for
vaccination and up to £200 million a year in the catch up programme.
The NHS Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) will focus on:
Improving prevention
* Help those addicted to tobacco, looking at whether cigarette
vending machines should be removed and whether shops display
cigarettes less prominently.
* Consulting on possible regulation of sunbeds to help reduce
cases of skin cancer and a review on the use and number of sun beds.
* We have recently announced a new HPV vaccine to help reduce
cervical cancer.
Earlier diagnosis and treatment
* We will extend the Breast Cancer Screening Programme to all
women aged 47 to 73 by 2012
* We are investing £100million in new digital mammography equipment
* The NHS Bowel Screening Programme will be extended from 2010 to
all men and women aged 70 to 75
* We will investigate where there are delays at the GP stage of
cancer patients treatment and tackle these delays
Improving experience of cancer patients and those living with cancer.
* We will increase radiotherapy capacity over the next three
years and invest £200million in new equipment and staff
* Where possible, cancer drugs will in future be referred to NICE
in parallel with the licensing process to minimise delays in
making new treatments available
* We will extend existing waiting time standards to include more
patients. By 2010, the 31 day standard (from decision to treat to
the start of first treatment) will cover all cancer treatments,
not just the first. This includes access to radiotherapy
Notes to editors
1. The Cancer reform strategy can be found at http://www.dh.gov.uk/
2. In September 2000 the Cancer Plan set out the first ever
comprehensive programme of action linking prevention, diagnosis,
treatment, care and research.
3. Funding - We will be investing a total of £250m in capital
equipment for cancer over the next three years. The revenue costs
of the strategy are expected to be around £450m by 2010/11.
However, we expect the NHS to be able to make savings of £320m by
per annum by that time, mainly through eliminating unnecessary
hospital admissions for cancer patients.
4. Formula - Capital investment over the three years =
£250million + the third year net revenue of £120million which
gives a total of £370million by 2010. This is exclusive of the
cost of new drugs.
5. Action on tobacco has already led to a fall in smoking rates -
from 28% of the population in 1998 to 24% in 2005, amounting to
1.6 million fewer smokers.
6. Cancer facts and figures - The NHS has significantly improved
the quality of care for cancer patients in the last 10 years:
* More staff than ever before are caring for people with cancer
* £4.35bn was spent on cancer services in 2005/60
* Over 99% of patients referred urgently by their GP with a
suspicion of cancer are now seen within two weeks
* Mortality rates in the under 75s fell by 17% between 1996/2005
saving 60,000 lives
* Survival rates for all common cancers continue to increase,
with more than two-thirds of newly-diagnosed patients living for
at least five years.
* We are on track to meet our target of a reduction of at least
20% in cancer deaths by 2010.
* The cancer workforce has expanded considerably, with around 49%
more consultants specialising in cancer in 2006 than in 1997.
* Over 1,300 items of the most modern equipment has been
delivered to diagnose and treat cancer since 2000.
* Over 99 per cent of patients with cancer are receiving their
first treatment within one month of diagnosis and nearly 97 per
cent of patients with cancer are receiving their first treatment
within two months of being referred by their GP.
[ENDS]