Today, I have included a copy of Bowel Cancer UK's 25th Anniversary press release and parts of the Executive Summary................... Tomorrow; as part of the Bowel Cancer UK awareness campaign, I am being interviewed by a journalist from "Northants News" who will be reporting on my personal experience with Bowel Cancer.
Embargoed press release: 00:01 Wednesday 18th April 2012
GOVERNMENT COULD CUT BOWEL CANCER DEATHS BY 60% BY 2025 SAYS BOWEL CANCER UK
The Government could cut deaths from bowel cancer by 60% by 2025 if it followed the recommendations in a new report launched today by Bowel Cancer UK. Bowel Cancer UK's ambition is also for an additional 2,500 people with bowel cancer per year living for at least five years after diagnosis by 2025. The report also reveals that more than one in five patients weren’t treated with respect and dignity by doctors and nurses
Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer, and the overall five-year survival rate of those diagnosed is just over 50% 2. In its report, 2025 Challenge: Saving and Improving Lives, Bowel Cancer UK calls on the Government to examine its targets in reducing mortality, improving patient experience and increasing survival to dramatically improve outcomes in all three areas by 2025.
The report reveals that:
- Deaths from bowel cancer could be cut by 60% by 2025 – from 18 in 100,000 to 7 in 100,000 – if realistic goals were followed.
- Almost one in four patients do not understand doctors’ explanations about their disease, and one in five say that they are not treated with dignity and respect 3.
- 20% of patients say they have received conflicting information about their condition 4.
- Currently, the survival rate of patients with bowel cancer is just over 50%.
Bowel Cancer UK’s ambition is to increase the proportion of people with bowel cancer diagnosed at an early stage, and improve the survival rate of people diagnosed with advanced disease. Achieving these goals would save an additional 2,500 more lives per year by 2025.
Bowel Cancer UK is calling on the Government to improve all three aspects of cancer care by:
- Encouraging greater uptake of screening to ensure earlier diagnosis. Uptake is only just over 50% at the moment
- Improving diagnostic capacity and reducing waiting times to cope with growing demand.
- Detecting and diagnosing bowel cancer at an earlier stage. Currently only 9% of patients in the UK are detected at the very earliest stage of the disease 6.
- Ensuring access to and support in decision making about the best treatments for advanced cancer regardless of where they live.
- Making sure patients receive the best care by ensuring that hospital, community and social care services are joined up.
- Improving the quality and consistency of written information given to patients with bowel cancer – currently one in three patients receive no written information.
Deborah Alsina, CEO, Bowel Cancer UK said: “We want to dramatically improve outcomes for people affected by bowel cancer, minimising the disease’s impact and helping people lead longer, healthier and happier lives.”
“We have a duty to save more lives and the proposals outlined in this report should be the Government’s absolute minimum goal.
“We look forward to working with the government, NHS and other charities to help save more lives from the UK’s second biggest cancer killer.”
About the Bowel Cancer UK ‘2025 Challenge: Saving and Improving Lives’ report:
This report explores the progress over the past 25 years in relation to mortality, survival and patient experience. It celebrates the progress over the last 25 years and identifies the areas where more work is required and establishes realistic goals for improvement by 2025.
Mortality
The past 25 years:
Nearly half a million people in the UK died from bowel cancer in the past 25 years.
Our goal:
An age-standardised mortality rate of 7, meaning 7 people out of a standard population of 100,000 dying from bowel cancer by 2025.
Survival
The past 25 years:
Until recently, the majority of people with bowel cancer had not survived five years after their diagnosis.
Our goal:
An additional 2,500 people with bowel cancer per year living for at least five years after diagnosis by 2025.
Patient experience
The past 25 years:
Overall, cancer patients’ experience of care has improved since 1999, but not in all areas.
Our goal:
All trusts achieving 98% on all key patient experiences measures by 2025.
About Bowel Cancer:
Bowel Cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, affecting both men and women. Every year just over 40,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer and more than 16,000 people die of the disease.
About Bowel Cancer UK:
Bowel Cancer UK is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. We are a charity aiming to save lives by raising awareness of bowel cancer, campaigning for best treatment and care, and providing practical support and advice.
2. Executive Summary
This report explores progress over the past 25 years on mortality, survival and patient experience. It celebrates the progress that has been made, identifies the areas where more work is required and establishes realistic goals for improvement by 2025.
The projections are made on the basis of what we know about bowel cancer, as well as the progress that has been made in the past. The goals should therefore be seen as a minimum objective for improving bowel cancer outcomes.
Achieving these goals will inform Bowel Cancer UK’s work over the next few years, helping us focus on what matters most to patients. We have developed several calls for action which, when implemented, will help even more people affected by bowel cancer and help us further improve the experience of people with bowel cancer.
Mortality
The past 25 years: Nearly half a million people in the UK died from bowel cancer in the past 25 years Our goal: An age-standardised mortality rate of 7, meaning 7 people out of a standard population of 100,000 dying from bowel cancer by 2025. This would mean that there would have been a 75% reduction in the age standardised mortality rate from 1987. |
Our calls to action
Reducing the number of people who die as a result of bowel cancer will require improvements in prevention, early diagnosis and treatment. We need to:
· Focus on preventing bowel cancer through simple changes to diet and lifestyle as these can reduce someone’s risk of developing bowel cancer.
· Improve diagnostic capacity with short waiting times. Endoscopy capacity should more than double over the next five years to cope with the growing demand created in part by a rise in incidence due to an ageing population.
· Encourage greater uptake of screening as it can prevent cancer for some people and ensure that others are diagnosed at an early stage.
· Implement new screening technologies and develop the next generation of screening tests so that we can maximise the number of cancers prevented and lives saved.
· Investigate the symptoms of bowel cancer. This must involve empowering and supporting GPs to refer people with possible symptoms properly.
· Raise public awareness of bowel cancer so people understand their risk and are motivated to act promptly.
· Ensure consistent best treatment for every patient irrespective of postcode.
Survival
The past 25 years: Until recently, the majority of people with bowel cancer had not survived five years after their diagnosis. Our goal: An additional 2,500 people with bowel cancer per year living for at least five years after diagnosis by 2025. |
Our calls to action
Helping people who are diagnosed with bowel cancer to live longer will require improvements across the patient pathway, ensuring that patients are able to benefit from the best of what we already know, as well as the results of continuing efforts to develop more effective interventions. We need to:
· Detect, diagnose, prevent and manage bowel cancer at the earliest possible stage when interventions are most effective.
· Improve treatment rates and offer the most appropriate treatment for all groups in society. There are currently wide variations in the numbers of patients who are offered a choice of treatment, both across the UK and according to demographic group.
· Ensure access to and support in decision making about the best treatments for advanced cancer. This should be regardless of geographical area as it is now possible to significantly extend and improve quality of life.
· Improve bowel cancer patient safety by using good practice guidance on infection control.
· Help and support people to recover from treatment by developing appropriate services and interventions. This is including for the late effects of treatment.
· Provide high quality palliative care as a vital component to improving the quality of life of cancer patients.
· Improve data collection to understand more about what improves survival as well as why variations in survival occur.
· Continue and prioritise research into bowel cancer as this will have a significant impact on survival by 2025.
Patient Experience
The past 25 years: Overall, cancer patients’ experience of care has improved since 1999, but not in all areas. Our goal: All trusts achieving 98% on all key patient experience measures by 2025. |
Our calls to action
A positive experience of treatment and care should be a minimum standard for every bowel cancer patient. More can and should be done. We need to:
· Expand access to bowel cancer clinical nurse specialists as they have a significant positive impact on the experience of cancer patients.
· Ensure strong multi-disciplinary working to ensure the best interests of the patient which in turn is the key to good patient experience.
· Ensure healthcare professionals communicate effectively and compassionately with patients about their condition and treatment.
· Improve the quality and consistency of written information given to patients with bowel cancer so they feel supported throughout the different stages of their pathway.
· Promote access to specialist supportive services, including diet and nutrition advice and stoma care as this can help with a patient’s experience of treatment and care.
· Ensure that joined up services are shaped around the needs of patients rather than the other way around.
Conclusion
Over the past quarter of a century, the way in which bowel cancer is perceived has been transformed. Public attitudes are changing, awareness is higher, screening offers the opportunity of earlier diagnosis and new treatments have transformed patients’ prospects. Although this is a cause for celebration, we must also remember the half a million people who have lost their lives to bowel cancer in the UK during this period and the many thousands more who have had their quality of life limited by the disease.
Now is not the time for complacency. It is the time to raise our ambitions. This document sets out some challenging but achievable goals for improving every dimension of bowel cancer outcomes, as well as the practical steps that need to be taken to meet them.
