A charity stated that the medical shortage in the UK has caused more than half a million cancer patients to receive no support or insufficient support.
Macmillan Cancer Support called for investment in specialist nurses to care for patients with this disease, stating that without more funding, there could be a shortage of nearly 4,000 nurses in the UK by 2030.
One-fifth of cancer patients who responded to a survey conducted by a charity in the summer stated that they did not receive any support from professional cancer nurses during diagnosis or treatment, but they were willing, or that the support they received was not enough. not enough.
Macmillan said that if you take into account the total number of cancer patients in the UK, this equates to approximately 630,000.
Good care is a lifeline, not a luxury. The shortage of staff means that exhausted nurses can hardly provide important care under deteriorating conditions.
The charity stated that a quarter of people diagnosed with cancer in the UK in the past two years (including an estimated 75,000 people diagnosed since the beginning of the pandemic) believe they lack professional cancer care support.
Among them, nearly half (44%) said that this lack of support has caused other medical effects, such as unsure which treatment side effects they should pay attention to, eventually entering A&E or unsure whether they are taking the correct medication.
The charity estimates that if the number of specialist cancer nurses remains at the current level, the gap in each country will reach 3,371 by 2030. U.K There are 166 in Wales, 100 in Northern Ireland, and 347 in Scotland.
In order to avoid this situation and train a sufficient number of cancer nurses in the next ten years, Macmillan called for investment of 124 million pounds in England, 12 million pounds in Wales, 7 million pounds in Northern Ireland, and 31 million pounds in Scotland.
Linda Thomas, CEO of the charity said: “coronavirus The devastating blow to cancer care that was already overwhelmed before the pandemic is continuing.
“Good care is a lifeline, not a luxury. The shortage of staff means that exhausted nurses are unable to provide important care in a deteriorating situation.
“people Cancer patients and our NHS staff do not need the government’s warm thanks or sympathy. They need action.
“We need to see an urgent commitment to address the shocking shortage of cancer nurses. If the government cannot rebuild cancer services, when we or our families face a cancer diagnosis, we all will pay the price.”
The report was released after a patient recovering from cancer treatment told members of the Health and Social Care Committee that she felt “abandoned” when the pandemic hit.
Shirley Cochrane, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2016, said that after the first outbreak, she was told to “self-manage”.
Ms. Cochran told members of Congress on Tuesday: “During the entire pandemic, I felt like I was abandoned by the health service.
“It’s like someone really pulled a safety blanket from under me.”
—— Macmillan Cancer Support YouGov surveyed 2,032 adults who were previously diagnosed with cancer online between July 30 and August 15.
