Do you have views on cancer services in England?

[LorraineD]

One Cancer Voice is a group of over 60 cancer charities, collectively supporting millions of people living with cancer. Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is part of that coalition. We want the Prime Minister to commit to taking action to dramatically improve the experience and outcomes of people affected by cancer.

We have come together, to call on the UK Government to put the needs of people with cancer first by:

o Ensuring the upcoming Major Conditions Strategy is ambitious, fully funded and listens to the voices and evidence of the cancer community.

o Committing to a longer-term strategy for cancer which focusses on transforming cancer research, diagnosis, treatment and patient experience.

• We have launched a petition (hosted by Cancer Research UK) calling for the UK Government to tackle the crisis in cancer care – the growth in waiting times, backlog of patients and worsening cancer patient experience. Patients deserve a plan to transform us into a ‘world-leading’ force in cancer care.

If you wish to get involved, the link to the petition hosted by Cancer Research UK can be found below:

bit.ly/OCVSignToday

[JanetteR57]

Signed.

Such an important issue - it appears the 10 year cancer plan that still exists in Wales and Scotland has quietly slipped into a priority plan for England which puts cancer alongside a whole host of other long term health conditions.

As we know, cancers are not all equal and it's easy to be taken in by numbers - the two most prevalent cancers (prostrate and breast) have high survival numbers so when politicians or policy makers quote numbers as 'success' , it's important to ask for detail about lung cancer which affects more men and women than ever...

As there are now more lung cancer treatments, many dependent on earlier diagnosis, faster turnaround times on pathology and imaging , it's crucial cancer is reprioritised if the investment in lung health checks and other research progress and new treatments is to be realised.

With more people living longer, tackling side and late effects of treatment as well as mental health aspects also needs greater consideration when planning healthcare services in the community and primary care not only hospital care.

Thanks for posting, Lorraine.

[Elt79]

Signed. I wholeheartedly agree with Janet’s response below. The last paragraph particularly resonates for me. I had an extremely poor prognosis but 4 years on am living with cancer. I am now dealing with side effects, as a result of treatments, which were never previously discussed with me and still haven’t to be honest - recent brain MRI as a result of issue I experienced ( 12 monthly now) I was just told treatment related changes over the phone by a registrar who couldn’t answer any of my questions. Finding it really hard mentally now where previously I have been 💯 positive.

[JanetteR57 in reply to Elt79]

sorry to read you're finding it hard mentally - I also had a wobble a couple of years after treatment and found getting involved helped me no end. are there any support groups near you? have you thought of joining a support group online? when I got involved and met other cancer patients (all types of cancers) and found they had similar concerns, experiences yet were getting on with their lives, it helped me feel less isolated. I also found reading books helped me - especially 'cancer is a word not a sentence' by Dr Rob Buckman and 'anticancer a new way of life' by Dr Servan Schreiber and helped me put some thoughts and feelings into better context. good luck.

[Elt79 in reply to JanetteR57]

Thanks so much for responding. I had been so positive and outgoing till recent months. I will look at the books you suggest. Thanks again x