Progress For New Cancer Strategy Aimed At Meeting Growing Demand

The projected rise in cancer cases represents one of the biggest challenges facing Northern Ireland's health service, Chief Nursing Officer Charlotte McArdle has warned.

Professor McArdle will head up a new Department of Health steering group tasked with developing a new 10 year cancer strategy. It comes after Permanent Secretary Richard Pengelly announced the plan's commissioning in March.

In the period between 2009 and 2013, there were 4347 male and 4175 female cases of cancer diagnosed each year in NI. By 2026, this is expected to rise by 43% for men and 40% for women, to approximately 6,200 and 6,000 cases per year respectively.

A meeting is to be held at Stormont today, Friday 10 May, to discuss the way forward with the input of charities, healthcare professionals, senior Health and Social Care managers and people who have lived through the experience of having cancer.

Ahead of the meeting, Professor McArdle commented: "The anticipated growth in the incidence of cancer is directly attributable to the fact that people are living longer.

"It is imperative that we act now to meet the challenge. A fully comprehensive new strategy for the period 2020 to 2030 will help us direct our skilled workforce and resources most effectively.

"It is very clear we will need to identify new ways of working. The development of a new strategy is very much part of the transformation agenda for health and social care."

According to Mr Pengelly, the appointment of the Chief Nursing Officer as chair of the steering group reflects the priority the Department has attached to this work.

He said: "In keeping with the principles of co-production, today's meeting is a first step in engaging with a wide range of people on the new strategy. This is a genuine partnership approach which seeks to bring people together to find shared solutions and the best outcomes for patients and their families.

"We have made great strides in tackling cancer over the last decade and I wish to see that progress continue. There is much more we need to do and a new strategy will help us to do that. It is intended that the strategy will be completed by June 2020."

The charity Cancer Focus NI will have an input in today's discussions. Chief Executive Roisin Foster said it is vitally important that all patients, carers, charities and health professionals advocate for their own views on how best to improve services and ensure the best outcome for patients.

"Undoubtedly there is a lot of work to be done but this new strategy is urgently needed," Ms Foster commented. "Research by the Cancer Registry NI indicates that the incidence of cancer will be over 60% by 2035, so we need to plan now on how to deal with this situation.

"We need our MLAs to carry forward and implement the necessary changes and we'd very much like to see them back at Stormont."



(JG/CM)