DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release (2007/0110) issued by The Government News Network on 11
May 2007
Independent report
into radiotherapy provision published by Cancer Tsar
An independent report looking at how current radiotherapy
resources could be put to better use and how we should plan for a
radiotherapy service that will meet the future needs of the
population, has been issued today by the National Radiotherapy
Advisory Group, led by Professor Mike Richards, the national
cancer director, and Dr Michael Williams the vice president of the
Royal College of Radiologists.
The NHS is delivering better cancer treatment to more people than
ever before with:
Cancer mortality in people under 75 falling by nearly 16%
between 1996 and 2004. This equates to over 50,000 lives saved
over this period;
the number of therapy radiographers (the staff who operate the
radiotherapy machines) rose by 31% between 1997 and 2004 (from
1,407 to 1,839); and
£4.3 billion spent last year on cancer services - a 12% increase
on the year before.
Today's report acknowledges that radiotherapy services have
already seen huge improvements, with double the number of staff
training to be radiographers and heavy investment in radiotherapy
equipment. However the report also found that:
- the need for radiotherapy services was significantly
underestimated by planners 15-20 years ago;
- as a result, despite positive actions the Government has taken
over recent years, there is a significant gap in radiotherapy
capacity (both in terms of equipment and staff); and
- cancer incidence will increase further due to a more elderly
population over the next 10 years.
Professor Mike Richards, national cancer director, says:
"We have doubled the number of staff training to be
radiographers and invested heavily in radiotherapy equipment.
However, we need more capacity, both in terms of staff and
equipment. This report is very helpful in setting out how this
could be achieved both in terms of using what we already have more
effectively but also in planning better for the future.
"The problems that we are seeing now with radiotherapy stem
from a failure of planning 15-20 years ago. At that time experts
predicted that radiotherapy would not have a key role to play in
cancer care in the future and that demand would fall. As a result
it was not an area prioritised by the NHS for development and expansion.
"I am pleased that Ministers have taken this report
seriously. With immediate effect, they have committed £5 million
of capital funding to support novel training facilities
recommended in the report. They have also asked that I take the
broader recommendations into account as I develop the Cancer
Reform Strategy, which will map the way forward for cancer
services in England, and that I bring the report to the attention
of cancer networks so that they can start to consider if the
services they are delivering are as productive as they could be."
Notes for Editors:
1. The report by the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group is
available on the DH website. http://www.dh.gov.uk
2. The Cancer Reform Strategy, which will consider these
recommendations in more detail, will be published by the end of
the year.
3. The number of therapy radiographers (the staff who operate
the radiotherapy machines) rose by 31% between 1997 and 2004 (from
1,407 to 1,839).
- Cancer continues to remain a key priority for this Government.
We are delivering better treatment to more people than ever before
and thousands of people are alive and well who would not be
without these improvements.
- This year (05/06) we spent £4.3 billion on cancer services.
This is a 12% increase on the year before (£3.8bn, 04/05) , which
itself was a 12% increase on the year before (£3.4bn, 03/04).
- Figures published in 2005 showed unprecedented levels of
investment in cancer services - an additional £639 million was
spent on cancer services in the 3 years up to 2003-04.
- We are delivering better treatment to more people than ever
before. Cancer mortality in people under 75 fell by nearly 16%
between 1996 and 2004. This equates to over 50,000 lives saved
over this period. We are on target to meet our target of a
reduction of at least 20% in cancer deaths by 2010.
[ENDS]