Cancer care in England has lost momentum, say MPs

[annie]

The push to improve cancer services in England has "lost momentum" in the past two years and the NHS must adapt to cope with demand, says a report by a group of MPs.

The Public Accounts Committee said the NHS was struggling to meet waiting time standards and had reduced resources.

UK cancer survival rates, while improving, were poor compared with the rest of Europe, the report said.

NHS England said it was already working on a new five-year strategy.
The report, published following evidence from a number of cancer charities and experts, looked at what progress had been made in improving cancer services and outcomes in England.

Margaret Hodge, who chairs the committee, said: "With more than one in three people developing cancer in their lifetime, cancer touches the lives of all of us at some point, and the Department of Health spends over £6.7bn on cancer services a year.

"That is why it is so concerning that the Department of Health and NHS England have lost momentum in the drive to improve cancer services in the last two years.

"More and more people are getting cancer but the resources available to support improvement have gone down."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31832908