The Government is bringing forward the rollout of personal cancer plans to the end of this year, rather than waiting until 2027, following a campaign led by the Daily Express. The change means cancer patients will receive tailored support from the day of diagnosis, but questions remain over whether NHS trusts are ready to deliver it.
Campaign Success After Two Years
Robert Fisk, who has led the Daily Express's Cancer Care campaign for almost two years, said he is delighted that cancer patients will soon get the support they need from diagnosis onwards. Fisk, who has received treatment for incurable bowel cancer for three and a half years, said the plans will cover all aspects of a patient's life, including work, hobbies, benefits, relationships and treatment.
Fisk raised concerns that the scope of the plans could be too much for medics to comprehend, given that healthcare professionals have often taken a narrow view, treating symptoms rather than the wider impact on a patient's life.
Collaboration and Ongoing Support
The new approach will require NHS specialists to collaborate with other organisations to secure the best support for patients. Fisk highlighted examples where a patient might need a referral to a charity running angling days if the diagnosis has left them lonely, or help from hospital dietitians if chemotherapy has altered their sense of taste.
He also warned that some trusts may treat personal cancer plans as a one-off exercise, completed at diagnosis and again at the end of treatment, with nothing in between. Fisk said this would be unacceptable, as patients' feelings about fighting the disease constantly change.
Experts on Patients, Not Just Cancer
Fisk argued that cancer specialists need to become experts on the people they treat, as well as on their cancer cells, by asking patients what they are thinking. He noted that nurses often interact with patients more than doctors, and that he has spent hours with nurses while sometimes seeing a doctor for just 20 minutes.
The shift may seem difficult for some specialists, but Fisk said the overarching reason they studied medicine was to help people, so it should not be too much of a stretch.
