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Briefing: increasing equality of care

Access to treatment

There are still unacceptable variations in the availability of the latest treatments and high quality care to cancer patients across the UK. Wherever a cancer patient lives, they should be treated in an appropriate clinical setting by an expert clinical team, with the best available therapy.

At a minimum, all patients who have a suspected diagnosis of cancer should be quickly referred to a specialist and, following diagnosis, proceed with their treatment without unnecessary delay.

Monitoring organisation of care and access to specialist treatment is best measured through the audit criteria defined by the Healthcare Commission in their inspections. The results of these inspections should be taken into consideration in the process of accreditation for cancer centre status. In particular cancer units with inpatient facilities should have direct access to medical oncology expertise either on-site or through the cancer centre-unit networks.

Capacity issues

Action should be taken to ensure that there is sufficient and sustainable manpower for cancer treatment in the UK and a continuing evaluation into the need for, and supply of, skilled personnel. The NHS also suffers from a shortage of theatres, beds, pathology, radiology and radiotherapy facilities.

Although major developments in drugs to treat cancer are being made, surgery remains the most effective curative treatment for many cancers. It is therefore especially important that the capacity issues in surgery are addressed.