Boosting Cancer Doctor Numbers in Rural and Coastal England

Hospitals in rural and coastal parts of England will get more cancer doctors to help tackle stark inequalities that mean people in some areas are far more likely to die from the disease. The plan is part of a government drive to end the “patchy” nature of NHS cancer care, which is characterised by wide postcode lotteries in access to diagnostic tests and treatment. “For too long your chances of seeing a doctor and catching cancer early have depended on where you live,” said Wes Streeting, the health secretary. “That’s not fair and has to stop. Whether you live in a coastal town or a rural village, you deserve the same shot at survival and quality of life as everyone else.” Streeting hopes more staff will allow patients to access cancer care more quickly, improve early diagnosis and increase survival rates, which are low compared with similar countries. Hospitals in poorer areas, many of which are located rurally or on the coast, often have fewer doctors – especially senior specialists – than those in cities and big teaching hospitals, which leaves patients waiting longer to be seen. Many have fewer cancer consultants than hospitals elsewhere. Attracting enough doctors to work in such places is often a challenge, which has led to a disproportionate number of medical roles being filled by medics from overseas. GP surgeries in poorer areas are also affected by “under-doctoring”, further reducing access to care in places with the highest level of health need. The initiative will result in more doctors in the early stages of their careers being offered specialist training posts in such hospitals, rather than increased numbers of consultants working there. However, it is unclear how many extra training places in cancer medicine it will produce. That is still subject to discussion between the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England. The scheme is one of a host of measures to improve cancer care in England that will be announced in the government’s new national cancer plan on 4 February, World Cancer Day. Streeting – himself a cancer survivor – hopes that more cancer doctors working in rural and coastal hospitals will also help to reduce economic inactivity, which is higher in those places. Gemma Peters, the chief executive of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: “Right now, cancer care isn’t fair. Too many people’s experiences are being shaped by who they are and where they live. “We know that many people in rural and coastal communities can face worse cancer outcomes, and expanding the cancer workforce in these places is a vital step towards tackling these inequalities.” Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, added: “No one should be at a greater risk of dying of cancer because of where they live, but cancer death rates are around a third higher for people living in the most deprived areas of England compared to the least deprived. “Ensuring everybody across England can access the best diagnostic tests is also crucial. It’s promising to see that the sponge on a string test, funded by Cancer Research UK to spot conditions that could lead to oesophageal cancer, is one of the new innovations the government is looking to roll out more quickly. Beating cancer must mean beating it for everybody, and the national cancer plan for England has a huge opportunity to bring us closer to this goal.” The plan will also set new targets for how quickly cancer patients receive care and treatment, and put more money into new technologies, including AI, to detect signs of the disease earlier. Dr Stephen Harden, the president of the Royal College of Radiologists, said: “Boosting the cancer workforce and embracing the latest technology to help spot cancer earlier are important steps to speed up diagnosis and treatment.” But hospitals needed more senior doctors, not just those still in training, he added. “To ensure patients in underserved areas benefit in the long term, it will be essential that permanent consultant posts are available so cancer doctors can stay and build fulfilling careers locally once training is complete.”