New health plan has specific goals for future cancer care
The 10 Year Health Plan for England includes specific cancer goals, including an increased uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations among young people in a bid to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 and a full roll-out of lung cancer screening for those with a history of smoking. The government plan also sets out a goal to speed up clinical trial recruitment. In all these areas cancer nursing staff have been making improvements before the plan was revealed, it is now important to push on with these advances
Increasing uptake of HPV vaccinations, a full roll-out of lung cancer screening and speeding up clinical trial recruitment are among the goals for cancer nurses
Early last month the Department of Health and Social Care launched the 10 Year Health Plan for England to create a model of care fit for the future. The plan is a response to Lord Darzi’s investigation which concluded that the NHS is in a ‘critical condition’, with staff demoralised and demotivated and outcomes on diseases like cancer lag behind other countries.
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Specific cancer goals are in the plan, including an increased uptake of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations among young people who have left school in a bid to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040 and a full roll-out of lung cancer screening for those with a history of smoking.
‘Cancer nurses are already working to raise awareness of clinical trials among members of the public and to boost patient enrolment’
But the 2024 National Cancer Patient Experience Survey for England shows improvements in cancer care were already being seen before the plan’s birth. Patient experience has improved in many areas, such as people being involved in decisions about their treatment and people saying the wait time for their cancer treatment was about right.
Health plan has the goal of speeding up clinical trial recruitment
The government’s health plan also sets out a goal to speed up clinical trial recruitment. Cancer nurses are already working to raise awareness of clinical trials among members of the public and to boost patient enrolment.
Our evidence and practice article, Evaluating awareness and knowledge of clinical trials among people affected by cancer, reveals the findings of an anonymous online survey of 1,033 members of the public. The findings showed that just 49% (n=504) of respondents stated that they knew what a clinical trial was and 57% would not take part in a clinical trial if asked to do so.
At Cancer Nursing Practice, our aim is to help nurses to publish such findings and provide information that will help staff in their roles. In addition, RCNi’s Nursing Live event at Birmingham NEC on 5-6 November, will provide another means for this. I’ll be there chairing cancer sessions on long-term conditions, genomics and cancer workforce development.
I hope you will be able to join us there and if you see me, do come over and say hello.
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