By Anna Barlow, writing inHospital Doctor, Date:Feb 2, 2006; Section:News; Page:3
There are still ‘stark inequalities’ in cancer death rates across the country despite significant progress in provision of cancer services overall, a new report claims.
Mortality is still far higher among poorer people living in deprived areas than in affluent regions, and there are geographical variations in the availability of NICE approved drugs, said the National Audit Office report, presented to House of Commons’ financial watchdogs.
But there have been big improvements in waiting times, with 99 per cent of patients referred urgently by their GP seeing a specialist within two weeks and increased funding reaching front-line services.
Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the Commons’ Public Accounts Committee, said the NHS had made good progress in many areas of cancer services, ‘but there are still stark inequalities in cancer death rates around the country and inequalities in the availability of the most effective cancer drugs’.
The report also uncovers problems in doctors’ communication skills. One-third of cancer patients said they did not find doctors’ explanations of their conditions, treatment or tests easy to grasp. One-fifth did not fully understand or had not discussed with clinicians potential side-effects of treatment.
Specialist palliative care varies nationwide, with the north, Midlands and east of England having fewer hospices and specialist services per thousand cancer deaths than London and the south.
Those who did receive palliative care were very satisfied that they had been treated with dignity and respect.
Dr John Wiles, chairman of the Association of Palliative Medicine, said despite £50m of DoH money being poured into palliative care, hospices still relied on charitable income for at least 60 per cent of their running costs.
‘Palliative care should be delivered with 100 per cent funding from the DoH and there should be a national distribution strategy to ensure palliative care beds are set up in parts of the country where there is currently no provision,’ said Dr Wiles.
The report was commissioned to check progress on the DoH’s ten-year Cancer Plan, published in 2000.
Disclaimer: Please see your own dentist/doctor for a proper diagnosis as my words should not, in any circumstances, be taken as dental/medical advice.
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