The RCP has published its response to Shaping the national cancer plan, an open call for evidence from DHSC.
In a response led by the Medical Specialties Board, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has called on the UK government to invest in:
- the cancer workforce prevention
- screening and diagnostics
- tackling health inequalities
- managing treatment toxicity
- supporting people who are living with cancer
- end of life care.
Dr Hilary Williams, incoming RCP clinical vice president, RCP vice president for Wales, and a consultant medical oncologist in Cardiff, said:
‘It’s vital that the government takes urgent action to address capacity gaps in the cancer workforce. The fragile state of NHS staffing is having a serious impact on access to care and growing health inequalities. We need to train and retain more consultants and specialist doctors, while taking a long-term sustainable approach to workforce planning that reduces our dependence on temporary staffing. This will improve patient access to high quality cancer care.
‘Everyone working in the NHS should be thinking about how we tackle avoidable cancers. Every patient interaction is crucial. How can we support people to live healthier lives and encourage them to take up early screening offers? Reducing variation in access to diagnostic services is essential. This will take time and training to upskill the workforce.
‘We need to get better at focusing on high-risk groups and those who are affected by health inequalities by reaching out into underserved communities with mobile screening, smoking cessation, obesity management and alcohol use reduction services.
‘One of the worst things about cancer is the side-effects of treatment, especially the toxicities from chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and other systemic anti-cancer therapies. There is a critical lack of national programmes and funding, with regional variation exacerbating inequalities in access to care. Fixing this means long term investment in training, service standards and national guidelines, and a shift to a multidisciplinary approach across acute, emergency, palliative, and community care.
‘We see far too many people in the last months of life being admitted into acute care. Most of these patients and their families would much rather be cared for at home. Palliative and end of life care must be resourced to reduce hospital admissions and improve access to integrated care. Better communication, support networks and patient wellbeing services are vital.
‘Finally, we must not forget the importance of research and innovation in the battle against cancer. It’s vital that we invest in academic training pathways and protect time for research activity in consultant job plans. In 2023, over half (52%) of respondents to the UK 2023 census of consultant physicians cited lack of job plan time as a barrier to research.’