Thousands of cancer patients miss out on NHS help for fatigue, insomnia and pain because of lack of funding, charity warns
- Seventy-seven per cent of cancer patients are ‘not getting enough support’
- More than 100,000 are not getting help for ‘pain, fatigue’ or trouble sleeping
- Research will be shared at Glasgow’s National Cancer Research Institute, today
- Macmillan Cancer Support wrote to the Prime Minister about an action plan
Tens of thousands of patients with incurable cancer are missing out on NHS support, a charity has warned.
Macmillan Cancer Support says 136,000 sufferers may live with the disease for several years thanks to advances in treatment, but struggle to plan for the future.
It said 77 per cent of them – more than 100,000 – are ‘not getting the support they need’ for problems such as pain, fatigue or trouble sleeping due to a lack of NHS staff and resources.
More than 100,000 patients with incurable cancer are not getting enough support for ‘pain, fatigue’ or trouble sleeping, according to Macmillan Cancer Support (file image)
The charity’s director of policy, campaigns and influence Dr Moira Fraser-Pearce said this showed that the current NHS workforce was ‘not fit for purpose’ despite the ‘best efforts of hard-working professionals’.
‘With treatments continuing to advance and people living longer with ‘chronic’ cancers, governments across the UK must ensure people living with cancer, including those with treatable but not curable cancer, can add quality, as well as years, to their lives.’
Macmillan’s advisor Nikki Cannon said people are ‘living longer’ with ‘chronic cancer’ and healthcare professionals need training to keep up with the patients’ needs which are growing more complex.
People are ‘living longer’ with chronic cancer and healthcare professionals need training to keep up with the patients complex needs, according to Macmillan’s advisor Nikki Cannon (file image)
‘This involves advanced communications skills to handle difficult conversations and understanding of the latest treatments and management of side effects.
‘However, the experts and compassionate workforce who want to provide personalised care for this group simply don’t have the capacity or resources to do so at present.’
Macmillan’s research will be presented today in Glasgow at the annual conference of the National Cancer Research Institute.
This comes just after the charity wrote to the Prime Minister with Cancer Research UK, highlighting how patients are being diagnosed late which makes the cancer harder to treat.
In the letter to Boris Johnson, they said: ‘We desperately need a plan of action as pressure continues to pile up on the existing overworked staff.’
