The Department of Health (DoH) and Macmillan Cancer Support are collaborating on a scheme that would see all cancer survivors receiving a personally tailored assessment of their needs after remission.

The personalised assessment and care plan scheme was published in the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative on Tuesday (19/01/10) – a joint initiative between the DoH and Macmillan to ensure that by 2012, all cancer survivors will receive the support and services that meet their needs.

All patients who survive cancer will be entitled to a personalised assessment and care plan, as well as information on the long-term effects of living with and beyond cancer – and access to specialist medical care for any complications that occur after surviving the disease.

Speaking at the launch, Health Minister Ann Keen said:

‘The massive investment and improvements that we have made over the last 10 years mean that an increasing number of people are living beyond cancer.

‘This is great news, but the impact of cancer does not end after treatment. This growing group of cancer survivors, their carers and families need support and services to meet their needs.

‘That is why we have joined forces with Macmillan Cancer Support and are making a firm commitment that, by 2012, all cancer survivors will receive the support and services they need.’

Government cancer tsar Professor Mike Richards said:

‘For many of the 1.6 million people living with and beyond cancer in England, we need to improve follow-up care to meet their medical, psychological, social, spiritual, financial and information needs.

‘We need to create services that are tailored to meet the needs of the individual, rather than the “one size fits all” model, which has been the traditional pattern of follow-up cancer care.

‘To do this, we are providing £1.6 million to Macmillan for this vital work – and we have created 38 pilot sites around the country, which are currently testing improvements to care.’

Research by the Picker Institute has found that 43 per cent of cancer survivors questioned would like more information and advice about their care after the disease – and 75 per cent did not know, or were not aware of, whether they had a care plan. Most of those questioned – 96 per cent – felt they had been treated with dignity by healthcare professionals, however.

Macmillan’s chief executive Ciaran Devane said:

‘Cancer is changing and the NHS must change to meet this new challenge. In the past, patients felt abandoned when their treatment ended – but the NHS should now support

them through all their health and care related needs.

‘There’s no doubt in my mind that providing assessment and a personalised care plans

will benefit people after their cancer treatment. It will also save the NHS money.

‘Our partnership with the Department of Health to produce this ambitious vision has been a strong and productive one. We look forward to working with them on the larger challenge – to get our new vision adopted and implemented across the whole country.’

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