This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Investment in cancer care
05/03/2004
Monitoring reports detailing regional cancer networks' progress with implementing investments to support Cancer in Scotland: Action for Change were published today.
Welcoming the reports, Health Minister Malcolm Chisholm said:
"These reports show that Scotland's national cancer strategy is continuing to bring benefits for cancer patients across Scotland.
"The Regional Cancer Networks are using local knowledge to ensure that they develop solutions that are truly responsive to local need, in partnership with clinicians and patients.
"Clearly progress is being made. More staff and equipment combined with more joint working between staff, and new ways of working, are resulting in a faster, more patient centred cancer service.
"In addition, the patient involvement initiatives now being set up by the regional cancer groups will ensure that in future patients will have a much bigger role in deciding the future development of cancer services.
"However there is still work to be done if we are to make real progress in tackling Scotland's biggest killer. Our cancer investment is one part of that. So are the efforts we are making in the areas of health promotion and education, to reduce the number of people being diagnosed with cancer in the first place. In all respects, tackling cancer remains a priority for the Executive, and we will continue to support improvements which result in better diagnosis, faster, more effective treatment and quality palliative care services for cancer patients."
Highlights include:
East of Scotland
- The appointment of a Clinical Radiographer Specialist in breast cancer at the Edinburgh Breast Unit has speeded up treatment for patients. Previously radiotherapy treatment could only be carried out with a consultant present, resulting in longer waits.
- Patients with cancer often deal with many different health professionals during the various stages of their illness. A newly appointed clinical nurse specialist for upper gastro-intestinal cancer is helping to provide support for East of Scotland patients throughout all the stages of their illness.
- £80,000 for a new computer based register of cancer patients across the East of Scotland will allow GPs and other primary care professionals to follow the progress of the patients with cancer in their practices. This means they can regularly review the care and treatment of patients on their register - and will ultimately bring better links with clinicians providing cancer care in hospitals.
West of Scotland
- The appointment of the first Palliative Care Nurse consultant in Scotland, providing care and support directly to patients and their families across the West of Scotland.
- The establishment of a Regional Pharmacy Network for the West of Scotland, resulting in the appointment of 19 new pharmacists.
- A crisis intervention service in Ayrshire, helping to avoid unnecessary admission to hospital by providing rapid support at home for people with terminal cancer
North of Scotland
- The appointment of an additional breast surgeon at the Highland Breast Centre has resulted in a reduction in waiting times for a breast clinic appointment from 6 weeks to 10 days.
- Additional staffing has reduced the waiting time for urgent bone scans in Tayside from 10 weeks to two weeks, resulting in faster referral and treatment for patients.
- The introduction of an electronic patient database in Grampian means that each lung cancer patient's test results, diagnosis and treatment can be viewed as a single electronic record as soon as they are available - providing faster access to patient information for clinicians.
When Cancer in Scotland: Action for Change was published in July 2001 it was backed by investment of £40 million over three years. In February 2002 the Health Minister announced an increase of £20 million in the Cancer Plan, giving a total of £60 million. Earlier this year the Health Minister announced that the annual recurring element of this investment (£25
million) would continue to be ring fenced until at least 2005-06.
This investment has resulted in the appointment of at least 330 new staff working in cancer care nationwide, including nurses, radiographers, pharmacists and consultants, as well as investment in MRI and CT scanners, ultrasound, endoscopy and chemotherapy equipment.