Dear All

The Mouth Cancer Foundation is looking for mouth cancer survivors who might wish to consider becoming a patient advocate for head and neck cancer. While I do make the effort to attend various meetings in London, it would be helpful to have some help.

These are meetings of the Cancer Campaigning Group and Cancer52 which is a coalition of cancer charities called Cancer52 recently set up by Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director to discuss the Cancer Reform Strategy to further the cause of the cancers outside the big four of breast, lung, bowel and prostate. The name adopted by the coalition Cancer52 reflects the fact that 52% of cancer mortality is due to cancers outside the big 4.

The MCF wishes to ensure that the Department of Health captures the patient perspective as far as possible with regard to:

• 1. Improving symptom awareness and empowering patients to discuss and describe symptoms with healthcare professionals.
  
• 2. Improving the awareness and understanding of healthcare professionals.
  
• 3. Improving the patient experience of living with a less common cancer (patient experience in the community).
  
• 4. Improving the patient experience of being treated for a less common cancer (patient experience in hospitals).
  
• 5. Describing our collective aspirations for cancer services in England and Wales by 2012.

If you feel you have the time to read the papers sent out (to be informed of isssues) and interested in playing a role in representing the interests of mouth cancer patients please let me know. It will be easier to attend if you live in the South nearer London. You will need to be able to write a summary report on the event attended and brief me of relevant issues raised.

Please contact me using the private messaging facility if you are interested in helping out.

Best wishes
Vinod