Ministers unveil National Cancer Plan in Leeds to tackle health inequalities
The Government is unveiling its National Cancer Plan in Yorkshire this week, which ministers say will tackle the huge inequalities in treatment that affect the region.
People across the county are more likely to be diagnosed with and die from cancer than almost anywhere else in the country, Yorkshire Cancer Research has found.
This is particularly afflicting rural and coastal areas, where patients are often far away from radiotherapy machines or other much-needed technology.
At St James’ Hospital in Leeds health minister Karin Smyth learned about some of the cutting edge cancer trials going on in the city as part of the launch.
“It’s really important that we use technology and open access to be part of these amazing trials and this amazing research, and make that more accessible to people,” she said.
“People are altruistic, they do want to be part of this amazing work, they’re very willing to do it - but often it’s hard to get the right people recruited to the right trials.”
Ms Smyth explained that St James’ Hospital was an example of how the Government wants to take “the best of the NHS to the rest of the NHS”.
“Some of the facilities we see here with regards to these rare cancers are the best,” she said.
“Improving access to things like the trials and also access to early diagnosis is a key part of this cancer plan,” Ms Smyth added.
“Although more people are coming forward and more people are surviving, progress is really slow and those inequalities have increased.
“That’s our task and that’s why we talked about getting more leading clinicians to rural and coastal areas.
“We want greater access to screening and more diagnostic centres.”
Health Secretary Wes Streeting is announcing funding for increasing screenings and improving early diagnoses in another part of the region today.
He said that for too long people “have faced a postcode lottery when it comes to cancer care. That's simply not good enough”.
“In 1948, Aneurin Bevan founded the NHS with a promise that the best possible care would be available to all, regardless of where they live.”
He claimed that for certain communities in Yorkshire “that promise has not been kept. I'm here today to start putting that right.”
"I know from my own experience of being diagnosed with kidney cancer how vital early detection is,” Mr Streeting said.
“Mine was only caught by chance because I went to hospital about something else entirely. I was one of the lucky ones – but healthcare shouldn't be left to luck.
"Advances in medical science allow us to screen much more accurately for early signs of cancer. Wealth should not dictate health – and neither should your postcode."
Dr Stuart Griffiths, from Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: "We welcome the Government’s commitment to tackling geographical inequalities in cancer diagnosis and treatment through its new National Cancer Plan.
“Yorkshire is one of the regions hardest hit by cancer, with significant gaps in access to specialists, diagnostics and treatment.
“The proposals – including expanding the cancer workforce in underserved areas, improving access to vital technologies and setting national standards for treatment – have real potential to reduce these inequalities.
"After campaigning for a plan that reflects the needs of people in our region, we are pleased to see commitments that could make a meaningful difference.”