Cancer service reforms ‘flawed’ say top doctors
DOCTORS have hit out at plans to reform cancer services, warning the ‘flawed’ plans could damage patient care across Greater Manchester.
Almost 40 urological consultants have called on health bosses to re-draft proposals to centralise hundreds of prostate, kidney and bladder operations a year.
The Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership wants prostate cancer surgery to be carried out at The Christie, and kidney and bladder cancer procedures at Wythenshawe Hospital only.
Senior surgeons warn the move will make it harder to recruit for their roles in smaller hospitals and worsen the service, while NHS leaders in Manchester maintain that the reforms will improve cancer care.
In a letter signed by 39 urologists sent to Jon Rouse, chief officer of Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, consultants said: “As representatives of most of Greater Manchester’s urological services, we have grave concerns that if implemented in its present form, this plan will have entirely the opposite effect and will inevitably damage patient care.”
The letter, seen by the M.E.N. added: “In our collective view, the proposed plan to re-locate complex renal and bladder cancer surgery to a single site is unworkable and has arisen because of the blinkered commitment to a flawed urology cancer plan, which has not satisfactorily made the case for change or addressed the potential benefits and the risks to the service.”
Cystectomies, a procedure to treat bladder cancer, are currently performed at Salford Royal, Stepping Hill and Wythenshawe. Nephrectomies, the removal of a kidney or kidneys, are carried out at Stepping Hill, The Christie, Wythenshawe, Salford Royal and North Manchester General. Under the proposals, these procedures would be delivered at Wythenshawe only.
The bulk of radical prostatectomies, the removal of the prostate gland, are performed at The Christie and Stepping Hill. Under the new system it would only be provided at The Christie.
The 39 urologists say they support some centralisation of services but to two or three sites rather than one.
Kieran O’Flynn, consultant urological surgeon at Salford Royal Foundation Trust, said urologists were often required to assist patients in general surgery and other specialities including trauma, gynaecology and emergency care.
“We feel the service could worsen as a consequence if this goes through,” he told the M.E.N.
A meeting between Mr Rouse and consultants is due to go ahead next month.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership said: “We are confident that the revised service model will meet national standards and improve outcomes, with patients receiving a consistently high standard of care at whichever hospital they are treated.
“The detail of the way those changes are to be implemented, including how they work with the proposed remodelling of benign urology services, is complex and is currently being worked through with clinicians, hospital trusts and commissioners.
“In this context, we understand the concerns raised by Dr O’Flynn and his colleagues, we welcome their input and we are meeting them later this month to continue our discussion.”