Local NHS Cancer Neworks? Info request.

[wendydee]

Hi all!

I am part of the Essex Cancer Network, as a patient Rep, representing Ovacome. At our last Survivorship meeting we were told that the Essex Cancer Network is being merged in March 2013, with ......wait for it........all the other Eastern region cancer networks and not just for cancer, for dementia, stroke, cardio, paediatrics, and a few others I can't remember.

Could you help me with a bit of research, please? (For lobbying my MP)

I'd be grateful if you could have a look on your local Health Board/NHS website and see if there is a cancer network, and, even better, email them to see if there are any plans to change the nature of it. I am guessing Essex isn't alone.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Love Wendy xx

[Whippit]

Dear Wendy

Thanks for alerting me to this. Our cancer network in SE Wales has been merged with SW Wales and is now called the South Wales Cancer network - url wales.nhs.uk/sites3/home.cf...

This is a joke. It covers 75% of the land mass of Wales with a population ~2.3M of the 3M people in Wales. The good thing is that it remains a cancer network and not a catch-all network as you're experiencing in Essex.

xxx love Annie

[wendydee in reply to Whippit]

Thanks Annie. It's all bad for the voices of cancer patients with these so called 'reforms' . I'm hoping it's just the support services that are being affected rather than the front-line medical stuff

Love W xx

[linnet]

Hi wendy

Is this the LINKS becoming HEATHWATCH?

I know that macmillian were recuiting cancer voices to make sure that we were represented in these- it seems like no-one currently knows exactly how they will work- perhaps a good thing to bring up in the parliamentary reception????( for anyone who is going?)

do let me know if you find anything else out

kind regards

Lin

( from macmillian cancer voices opportunities)

Healthwatch is the new independent consumer champion for local health and social care Local Healthwatch will help people make choices about their care. By drawing on the experiences and views of local people about their local services, Healthwatch organisations can be influential partners in the local decision-making process. For Local Healthwatch to be influential, it will need to ensure that it is listening to EVERYONE... That includes the 2 million people affected by cancer right now & the 4 million people we expect to be affected by cancer by 2030

[wendydee]

ECN - This is a county wide, NHS initiative in Essex. I don't know what happens in other areas. It's run by professionals, with a few patient (user) reps. Ours has NSSG meetings, with oncologists, surgeons, nurses, physios, admin etc. they have one for all the cancer sites (Gynae, lung, colo-rectal, breast etc etc), also survivorship meetings, with McM, peer support meetings, runs conferences etc. it's the admin and medical and patient side coming together I think. It's very difficult to get an overview though. Does this help? Not sure!

W xx

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This makes interesting reading.

Was this in the manifesto, I think not!

guardian.co.uk/society/2012...