Assembly Health Committee launches major new report into cancer services in Wales

All cancer patients in Wales should be offered a comprehensive care and rehabilitation package at the time of their diagnosis, according to a new report out today. This package should include information on prognosis and treatment; rehabilitation and nutrition and should also cover the provision of psychological, spiritual and emotional support. The National Assembly’s Health and Social Services Committee is today (Monday February 5) publishing the results of its review of cancer services in Wales. The report will be launched at a conference on cancer care in City Hall, Cardiff, at 2pm. The report recognises the commitment of staff working with cancer patients in the statutory and voluntary sectors and says there is much for the NHS and other bodies to be proud of. But it says that the Welsh Assembly Government should consider using incentives such as training bursaries to encourage  specialist staff to work in Wales. The report also praises the work being done to inform the public about preventative measures, such as stopping smoking, diet and lifestyle. More needs to be done to bring these messages to children and young people in schools, and the Committee is urging the Welsh Assembly Government to expand and strengthen the school nursing system to help achieve this. The report makes a total of 16 recommendations. These include the introduction of an implementation plan to secure the funding of new and replacement radiotherapy equipment, the simplification of the current method of commissioning palliative care, and a protocol for the appraisal of new drugs and therapies. Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM, Chair of the Committee, said: “This has a been a wide-ranging and comprehensive review, but it was not possible to examine every aspect of cancer service provision in the time available, so we concentrated on issues where the Committee could make recommendations that would be realistic and achievable within the resources available to the NHS in Wales. I am grateful to the panel of expert advisers who assisted the Committee and to everyone who gave evidence to the review. . I hope that we have succeeded in making recommendations that the Welsh Assembly Government can take forward with the NHS and its partners during the Third Assembly.”