Take steps now to avoid a wave of cancer deaths
Richard Pugh, head of partnerships for Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, issues a stark warning that cancer must not become ‘the forgotten C’ as coronavirus continues to cause huge disruption to cancer care across Wales
THERE are around 130,000 people living with cancer in Wales. Even at the most normal of times, receiving a cancer diagnosis or going through treatment is one of the most terrifying things a person can face.
Trying to make sense of a cancer diagnosis while the world is in the grip of a global pandemic, trying to deal with the sheer emotional, physical and financial worry of it, just doesn’t bear thinking about.
To say that people living with cancer across Wales are living in very uncertain times couldn’t be more of an understatement.
We know that people have been left facing the fear and anxiety caused by their cancer treatment plans being put on hold. Left with the worry that their symptoms and their overall prognosis might worsen as they wait.
We know that thousands have had to shield themselves and face a growing battle to undertake even the most basic activities such as getting the groceries they need.
We know people are isolated. That people are separated from their loved ones and vital support networks at a time when they feel at their most vulnerable.
We also know that whilst there is some recovery, there has been a substantial decline in urgent cancer referrals and a blanket suspension of national cancer screening programmes – meaning a growing number of people in Wales may be diagnosed with cancer later than they should have been, or in the worst possible situation, not diagnosed at all.
Right across the entire system of cancer diagnosis, screening, treatment and long-term care, the current pandemic is having a huge impact on the outcomes that can be achieved for people with cancer.
The reality evidenced by the current fall in Covid-19 related deaths, is that cancer is expected to shortly return as the leading cause of death in the UK. That is why our “forgotten ‘C’” campaign is calling on the Welsh Government to set out a clear plan for restoring cancer care to pre-coronavirus levels as soon as possible.
Wales urgently needs this route map to clarify how people with cancer will once again be able to access timely diagnosis and treatment.
We need it to plan out how extra capacity can be made available in our already under pressure health care system to catch-up with the growing backlog of diagnosis, treatment and care which coronavirus has caused.
Wales must quickly address the fact that whilst clear guidance was issued by NHS Wales to prioritise urgent cancer treatment within this pandemic, the fact remains that many have had their cancer treatment or diagnosis disrupted.
Without such a plan of action for resetting cancer care, we risk creating a second-wave health crisis – one of an increasing and unmet demand for urgent cancer treatment.
Any failure to meet that demand for cancer care will have a significant impact on people’s health, wellbeing and the outcomes that can realistically be achieved for people with cancer.
The basic tenet of good cancer care is that diagnosis should be early, treatment should be timely, and people’s wider and long-term care needs should be met. Without this, people’s health will suffer.
That is why it is so vital that we see action now to develop comprehensive plans for how the NHS in Wales will kick back in and support people living with cancer.
When it comes to front-line clinical care this must include plans for how Wales will match the pace set in other parts of the UK in developing “covid-free hubs” to allow cancer treatment to restart – including an effective Covid-19 testing policy to support the routine delivery of cancer treatment.
It needs to outline how existing infrastructure and facilities can be realigned to start clearing the backlog of screening and diagnosis cases, all while ensuring NHS staff themselves are kept safe through the provision of appropriate protective equipment.
And equally important, we need to rekindle the kindness in the system that people with cancer and their loved ones so desperately need.
We need new and clear guidance that guarantees that no-one visiting a dying loved one with cancer will be penalised by enforcement authorities, or even have to contemplate it as a “reasonable excuse” for travel.
From there we need to find new and innovative ways of continuing personalised care and support, through holistic needs assessments, so that our care services can respond to people’s individual clinical, emotional, financial and spiritual needs.
At the start of this pandemic the response moved at pace and the ongoing efforts of front-line NHS staff have been astounding. They deserve every bit of the applause they receive.
But now we have an opportunity to avoid plunging those same NHS workers into another health crisis, just as they feel that they are beginning to have weathered the storm of coronavirus.
To avoid a cancer care crisis, we are asking governments right across the UK to act now.
That is why we are encouraging people to campaign with us to stop cancer becoming the “forgotten ‘C’”.
If you would like to help people with cancer to get the right treatment, care and support, at the right time please visit www.macmillan. org.uk and get involved.