Our response to the Government’s new 10 Year Health Plan for England
We welcome the publication of the Government’s new 10 year health plan for England, which has the potential to be game changing for pancreatic cancer patients if successfully implemented.
Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer, with only 7% of people surviving beyond 5 years, so these patients shoulder the burden of NHS pressures.
Giving patients control of their care, through improved digital access and the ability to self-refer for tests, is crucial in tackling pancreatic cancer where patients go back and forth to their GP multiple times before being referred for tests.
The plan’s focus on early diagnosis of cancer is promising, including earlier detection programmes. 8 in 10 people with pancreatic cancer are currently diagnosed at a late stage, so this focus is long overdue.
It’s positive to see the plan’s ambition to improve quality of services across the country. There is currently too much variation in the experience of people with pancreatic cancer, with treatment rates ranging from 29.6% to 41% between areas, so this is drastically needed.
We now need to see the detail of how this will work across cancer services, and for pancreatic and the less survivable cancers, in the upcoming Cancer Plan for England. This plan is a positive start which, if delivered, could save thousands of lives.
Thank you to our supporters who submitted their own responses to the 10 year health plan consultation process – you’ve helped to ensure that the voices of people affected by pancreatic cancer are heard.
You can read the published plan here.
