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Question Time Event Podcast
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Political parties put cancer at the top of their health agendas
A heavy-weight cross section of politicians made up the panel for the CCG’s Cancer Question Time on Wednesday 3rd March and included Health Minister Ann Keen MP, Mark Simmonds MP and Norman Lamb MP.
The panel disagreed over the extent of the NHS funding crisis but all agreed that tighter health finances will mean realising in-patient efficiencies, streamlining PCT purchasing of care and ensuring that savings are diverted to prevention and early diagnosis.
The panel agreed that the NICE process needs to be sped up and made more transparent and that it also needs to become more sensitive in respect of rarer cancers. Following approvals by NICE, PCTs should deliver these drugs expeditiously and this is not happening at the present time.
CCG Spokesperson, Andrew Wilson-Webb, Chief Executive of the Rarer Cancers Forum said:
“CCG Members have long spoken out for the need to invest in cancer nurse specialists and the panel recognised the need to protect this critical service and an increased role for the voluntary sector. We applaud the forthright stance that the panel took in criticising those PCTs that cut their specialist nurses.”
Information for patients also emerged as a key theme, with the panel agreeing that advice tailored to patients is often poor. Andrew Wilson-Webb commented:
“The panel recognised the expertise of the voluntary sector in providing patient advice, but still patients often feel alone and confused. There is not enough accredited information that can be provided at the point of diagnosis pre and post treatment - it needs to be personalised and able to target specific groups in the community.”
The event was attended by all three of the main political parties’ spokespeople on cancer: Ann Keen MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health Services, Norman Lamb MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Health and Mark Simmonds MP, Conservative Shadow Health Minister. It was chaired by science writer and broadcaster Vivienne Parry.
The politicians were joined on the panel by Dr Anna Dixon, acting CEO of the King’s Fund, Professor Peter Johnson from the University of Southampton and Clinical Director Cancer Research UK and Philip Dexter from the Prostate Cancer Charity's Prostate Cancer Voices Network.
Attended by over 70 from the cancer community, the evening gave the CCG’s charity members an opportunity to quiz all three of the political parties on their cancer policies and covered the issues around access to cancer medicines, waiting times, the impact of the recession and the number of Cancer Nurse Specialists.
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CCG Question Time Event
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