- Stephen H Bradley
, senior lecturer1, - Richard Sullivan, director
- 1University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- 2Institute of Cancer Policy, Centre for Conflict and Health Research, King’s College London, London, UK
- Correspondence to: S H Bradley stephen.bradley@sheffield.ac.uk
NHS could pioneer on collaborative, innovative approaches
Healthcare systems that develop and implement national cancer plans deliver better outcomes for patients than those with none.1 A successful plan provides healthcare staff with coherent objectives that can be fulfilled using methods that are supported by high quality evidence and within the resources available. England has a particular need for effective cancer planning as outcomes for some common malignancies continue to compare unfavourably with those of other high income countries.2
The commitment to reinstate a dedicated cancer plan for England—after the previous government subsumed cancer into a wider chronic disease plan3—is therefore welcome. Unfortunately, the circumstances into which the new plan will land are not propitious. People with cancer face ongoing delays for diagnosis and treatment because of high friction across care pathways, from accessing general practice4 through to longstanding failure to meet target times for receiving surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy once patients are referred and diagnosed.5 Furthermore, with the UK economy under stress, the government has consistently signalled that it is not going to substantially increase funding for healthcare.
Serious policy making for cancer has too often been jettisoned in favour of highly …
