Press release: NHS Confederation responds to King's Fund report on cancer services

24 Aug 2006

Commenting on Future Trends and Challenges for Cancer Services in England which has been published by the King's Fund today, Dr Gill Morgan, chief executive of the NHS Confederation which represents more that 90 per cent of NHS organisations, said:
 
"We completely agree that it is time to refresh the plan for cancer services in England - there have been many successes over recent years but we now need to look again at how cancer services can be developed further to better meet the needs of patients suffering with this condition.

"However, it is really important that any refresh takes into account the balance of services needed for the wider population. It is all too easy when planning for a single and important disease to forget the impact of spending and use of resources on all other conditions.

"A pound can only be spent once and PCTs have a tough job of balancing trade-offs to ensure that they listen to the voice of every patient - not just those with emotive conditions. For example, further developments in cancer must be balanced with the need to improve services for heart failure, sexual health and learning disabilities all of which have been criticised recently.

"It is because of these competing needs of patients and the public that it is vital we start to have a proper and honest debate about our priorities."
 
ENDS
 

 

Notes for editors

The NHS Confederation represents more than 90 per cent of the organisations that make up the NHS. Its members include the majority of NHS acute trusts, ambulance trusts, foundation trusts, mental health trusts, primary care trusts, special health authorities and strategic health authorities in England; trusts and local health boards in Wales; and health and social service trusts and boards in Northern Ireland.

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