Patient demand for cancer services is increasing significantly. In 2017/18, almost two million patients nationally were referred by their GP for suspected cancer, equating to more than 5,000 patients every day. When compared to five years ago, this is an increase of almost 60%.
The increase in the number of GP referrals is due to a combination of different factors including the changing age demography of the UK population, the increasing awareness of the disease driven through national campaigns, celebrity announcements and changing medical practice, guidelines and referral thresholds. There were 97,710 GP referrals for suspected cancer seen to Thames Valley’s hospitals in the 12 month period of Aug 18-Jul 19, up from 89,355 in the previous year.
The National Audit Office estimated cancer related costs for the NHS in England of £6.7bn in 2012/2013, acknowledging that this does not capture all costs, such as some of those incurred in primary care. Thames Valley contains around 4.2% of the population of England, so the region’s cancer costs in 2012/13 can be estimated as upwards of £281m.
Achieving world-class cancer outcomes estimates that cancer-related costs to the NHS in England could grow to around £13bn a year by 2020/21. That would mean a cost in Thames Valley of £546m.
Cancer was identified as an early priority for the long-term funding settlement. The focus of the ten-year NHS plan is on improving the accessibility of cancer services for patients, expanding the specialist cancer workforce and delivering cancer prevention schemes. The plan offers a real opportunity to develop a sustainable long term strategy for the delivery of cancer services in England.