Inequalities inquiry recommendations to save thousands of lives each year and improve cancer experience for all

The report calls for radical reform of NHS cancer targets to help save the lives of thousands of people who are dying unnecessarily each year - estimated to be 15,000 just for people over 75.  It recommends the development of a new one-year cancer survival rate target, which for the first time would cover all ages, including those over 75.

Priorities for action

In total the report sets out eight ‘priorities for action’, to both narrow the gap in survival rates between different groups and improve cancer outcomes for all. These include key recommendations, including:

• a separate national body - the National Specialised Commissioning Group - to commission drugs for people with very rare cancers instead of NICE
• the delayed National Cancer Patient Experience Survey Programme to start immediately
• every cancer patient to have an Information Prescription by 2010
• people living with cancer to have regular care needs assessments to tackle the ‘black hole’ in services between health and social care
• legislation to ban sunbed use for under 18s
• far better cancer patient data collection, which is crucial if PCTs/Cancer Networks are to make a proper assessment of the needs of their local population.

The APPGC officers - made up of senior Parliamentarians, including Shadow Health Ministers from both opposition parties, as well as Labour backbenchers - will be working in the run up to the General Election to build support for the eight priority actions within Government, across the other two main political parties and across the NHS.

Further information

A full version of the report is available to download here [PDF, 869kb]|

If you have any comments or queries, please do not hesitate to contact the APPGC secretariat via appginquiry@macmillan.org.uk| or 020 7840 4947.