Cancer Reform Strategy - NHS Cancer Screening Programmes

What the Cancer Reform Strategy meansfor patientsThe actions we are taking are intended toensure that every person has access to worldclass NHS services at every point of the cancerpathway. Our pledge to patients is that:1. More will be done to help you to reduceyour risk of developing cancer:● Young girls will be offered vaccination tosignificantly reduce their risk of developingcervical cancer;●●Awareness of risk factors will be tracked andaction taken to improve public awareness;andWe will go further on tackling risk factors forcancer such as smoking, obesity andexcessive exposure to ultraviolet light.2. There will be an increased likelihood ofyour cancer being detected earlier:● Screening programmes for cervical, boweland breast cancer will be improved andexpanded;●A new National Awareness and EarlyDiagnosis Initiative will be launched tomeasure symptom awareness, develop keymessages and test, evaluate and roll outinterventions to improve it; and3. You will have access to high qualitytreatment at every stage of your cancerjourney:● More patients will be covered by existingwaiting time standards;●●●●Further action will be taken to reduce cancerwaiting times for all forms of treatment,including surgery, radiotherapy andchemotherapy;Expanding the capacity and effectiveness ofradiotherapy services will be a priority;Action will be taken to ensure faster accessto clinically and cost effective treatments;andVariations in treatment usage, bothinternationally and within England, will bemonitored.4. Whether you are living with or beyondyour cancer, high quality information andsupport, tailored to your personal needswill be available:● Action will be taken to inform and empowerpatients so that they can play as active a rolein decisions about their care and treatmentas they wish;●A national audit of primary care will bedeveloped, examining the extent of anydelays in diagnosis and identifying thesupport which will help GPs identify potentialcancers earlier.●●Priority will be given to ensuring there isadequate provision of Clinical NurseSpecialists;Support will be available to help patientscope with the cost of cancer, includingadvice on benefits and returning to work;and