Call for co-ordinated cancer care plan

Coordinated care plans, increased education, and more funding and staff for regional cancer networks are a vital part of improving cancer care in ireland, a new report has said.

Launched by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, the Regional Oncology Programme Office's report recommends the creation of a supra-regional service to make the best use of resources and ensure patients have access to the best treatment possible.

It says that the national cancer control programme office should coordinate structured multi-disciplinary care plans with the help of the regional networks. GPs should also be supplied with the appropriate information to allow them to make informed referral and management decisions, while awareness programmes aimed at the general public could also help in the provision of quality cancer care.

The need for high quality cancer research was also highlighted in the report, with specific references made to the difficulties involved in gaining funding for such studies.

The report claims that the current lack of comprehensive care in Ireland diluted resources, leading to disruption of treatment schedules for some patients, while others were receiving sub-optimal therapy.

More than 22,700 cases of cancer were diagnosed in 2006 and 7,870 people died from the disease. Statistics show that one in four people will die from cancer, and 60 per cent of cancer patients die within five years of being diagnosed.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Mr Ahern wished the ROPO continued success in the future and welcomed the report's recommendations. "Cancer patients need to receive multidisciplinary care from cancer specialists, so as to ensure that they all get the best treatment and have the best opportunity for best outcomes," he said.

Mr Ahern said the work of the ROPO in recent years on initiatives run in conjunction with Dublin City Council such as "Your Health is Your Wealth" and "Wise Up! It’s My Life Too" showed that the model of centralised cancer care delivery and administrative structures was effective. "Cancer networks are the only way forward to deliver optimum cancer care and improved outcomes. And as the report also confirms, centralised cancer care delivery is in line with best international practice," he said.

He also praised the voluntary sector, saying it played a vital role in providing a network of services to patients.