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According to a new report, the performance of NHS cancer services in England is lower than that of comparable countries.
According to the Unfinished Business Report of the think tank The Health Foundation, England has made progress in improving cancer services since the introduction of a national plan to fight against cancer. cancer in 2000.
However, according to Sir Mike Richards, a former cancer tsar professor who led the magazine, other countries have improved their services faster.
As a result, England lags behind comparable countries in terms of survival rates.
Survival rates, however, improve – in 2000, 62% of patients had survived for at least one year, but by 2015 they had increased to 72%. Five-year survival increased from 42% to 53%.
But the Health Foundation's report compared NHS performance with five other countries – Canada, Australia, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
The report examined NHS results in six cancers – colon, rectum, breast, lung, ovary and prostate.
According to the report, the United Kingdom is among the two worst-off countries since 2000 in terms of five-year survival and has bridged only the gap with the best-performing countries in terms of breast cancer .
He estimates that 10,000 deaths could be prevented each year with a better diagnosis.
A number of factors slowed performance, according to the report.
General practitioners are under pressure not to direct too many patients to hospitals. If patients go to the hospital, they do not have the necessary equipment or the necessary staff to perform the necessary tests and analyzes.
There has been an increase in the number of GP referrals – but waiting times have also increased and the NHS is struggling to achieve its goals.
In addition, one in five patients is still diagnosed in the emergency department, which is associated with poorer outcomes, as the disease is often more advanced at the time of diagnosis.
Political interference has also slowed progress – according to the report, a restructuring of the NHS led by former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in 2012, "has resulted in a loss of momentum in improving health care. cancer, which has not yet been fully restored.
"National leadership and support for cancer networks has been significantly reduced, which has had an impact on the progress made in the fight against cancer.
The report contained a series of recommendations aimed at improving services, including better screening of bowel cancer with the help of a revised fecal immunochemical test, better detection of lung cancer and the implementation of a NICE guideline on how doctors should investigate patients at higher risk of cancer.
There should also be faster diagnostic centers, potential changes to standard 62-day wait times, more personalized care, better funding, and monitoring against a set of key parameters.
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