Call for Political Parties to Review Cancer Care System
A Scottish cancer charity is calling on every political party in Scotland to commit to urgently fixing Scotland’s "outdated" cancer care system.
A Scottish cancer charity is calling on every political party in Scotland to commit to urgently fixing Scotland’s "outdated" cancer care system.
Macmillan Cancer Support made the call as it revealed there will be an estimated 260,000 people in Scotland living with cancer by the end of the next Scottish Parliamentary term in 2020.
This is a rise of 40% since 2010 when 190,000 people were living with cancer.
The charity say that despite the huge increase in people living with cancer, the current system of cancer care isn’t set up to help people cope with the emotional, financial and physical problems cancer causes.
Macmillan’s head in Scotland, Janice Preston, said: “Too many cancer patients are being let down by our outdated system.
“As more people are living longer after being diagnosed with cancer, there needs to be a complete transformation in how cancer patients are supported.
“Early detection and good treatment are vital, but it’s not good enough to treat the illness and fail to address what the person needs. Cancer doesn’t happen to a body part. It happens to a person.
“It often impacts on every aspect of life, causing problems from homelessness and debt to depression and mobility issues. These problems can last long after treatment ends.
“We believe cancer patients in Scotland deserve better than this and we are asking our political parties to show us that they agree by pledging support for our manifesto calls ahead of the May election.”
Macmillan wants every political party to sign up to urgently revise and publish the eight-year-old cancer plan for Scotland (Better Cancer Care, 2008).
The charity says the new plan must include a commitment to ensuring every cancer patient is offered an assessment of their emotional, financial and practical needs followed by on-going support.
One woman who agrees cancer impacts on every aspect of life is mum Susan Selkirk who struggled with feelings of guilt after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Susan was diagnosed in February last year after taking her then three-year-old daughter Charlotte to the doctor and deciding to get a lump in her breast checked out while she was there.
The Newton Mearns mum, who at the time was working as the West of Scotland fundraising manager for Macmillan, said: “I got great information about treatments I was going to go through and side effects of the medication I was going to be given.
“But I didn’t know about the wider impact cancer would have or the long-lasting side effects, such as chemo brain.
“I lose my words mid-sentence. I lose my train of thought. I can’t stand lots of noise. If Charlotte and my husband Neil are talking to me and the radio is on, by the time they all leave in the morning I feel I need to sit down and go back to bed.
“I feel a huge amount of guilt which is a weird emotion to have, I felt guilty about being ill, putting Neil and mum through watching me being ill.
“During treatment it was hard being away from my family so much. I was in hospital for weeks at a time and I nearly missed Charlotte's 4th birthday
“After my treatment finished came the worry that it will come back again - I worry about what impact a second diagnosis would have on the close family.
“I was lucky that I having worked for Macmillan I knew about some of the support available.
“It’s awful to think of someone going through cancer without the right help just because they don’t know it’s there for them.”
A Labour Spokesperson said: "This is an important point from MacMillan - in Scotland there is a real danger that cancer is becoming a deprivation disease in Scotland, with the poorest people in Scotland 68% more likely to die from cancer than the richest. The SNP much publish their much delayed cancer strategy as soon as possible, so people can see the support those living with cancer will receive."
Commenting, SNP MSP Dennis Robertson, who is a member of the Health and Sport Committee, said:
“Thanks to innovation, investment and early detection around 176,000 people who have been diagnosed with cancer within the last twenty years are still with their families today.
“We are determined that this positive trend in cancer survival rates continues. That’s why the SNP government will shortly publish a new cancer plan – setting out how we will improve protection, diagnosis, treatment, research and workforce issues for the future.
“The Scottish Government has already invested £39 million since 2012 in the Detect Cancer Early Programme and is committed to ensuring that more cancers are detected as early as possible.
“We’re also committed to giving patients a stronger voice in our National Health Service – that’s why the Scottish Government has conducted Scotland’s first national cancer patient experience survey. This information will help the NHS better understand their experience and continue to drive up the quality of care.”