Participants in this recent Policy Forum discussion, a collaboration between the New Statesmanand Pfizer,
discussed the progress that may be expected on the newly released Cancer Reform Strategy and that of its predecessor, the 2000 Cancer Plan.
Between the publication of these two documents, many new drug therapies became available – expensive therapies that have led to disparities between primary care trusts about patients’ eligibility for them.
The discussion centred on the issues of what we need to do on prevention, early diagnosis, better treatment, living with and beyond cancer, and the whole new survivorship agenda. Reducing inequalities, managing more patients as day cases, better commissioning for services such as radiotherapy and aligning drug licensing with NICE guidance – to widen the range, and speed up the rate, of new drugs reaching patients – were all debated. However, the topic that seemed closest to many participants’ hearts was
that of the psychological, social and spiritual aspects of living with a diagnosis of cancer. This aspect of care involves not just the patient, but their carers and families and the NHS workforce that delivers their treatment too.
This and the other reports in the long-running series are available from the website: www.policyforum.co.uk. Your comments are welcome.
