The UK Government has today (Thursday 3 July) launched its 10 Year Health Plan for England, in which it has set out its vision for the NHS to shift more care from hospitals into local communities, accelerate a move towards more digital ways of working, and improve efforts to prevent ill health. The proposals include integrating genomic insights into disease prevention, which the Government hopes to roll out into conditions such as prostate cancer in the future.
Prostate Cancer Research submitted written evidence to the Government’s consultation on the Plan last year, in which we stressed the need to improve early detection of disease, and transform how health data is used to improve diagnosis, treatment and care for people with prostate cancer.
During a House of Commons statement on the new Plan, Health & Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting responded to a question from Clive Efford MP on the prospect of a national screening programme targeted at men at high risk of prostate cancer. He highlighted the Plan’s commitment to tackling health inequalities, and that the Government continues to await the conclusion of the ongoing National Screening Committee review and the publication of the National Cancer Plan for England later this year.
“We welcome the focus on innovation and access to cutting-edge treatments in the newly published NHS 10 Year Health Plan. The Government has rightly and repeatedly stated their mission to protect and strengthen healthcare services in this country by focusing on prevention, unlocking smarter, earlier diagnosis, and reducing the number of patients on waiting lists for care – goals which we are firmly behind. A targeted screening programme for prostate cancer could, if implemented, play a leading role in delivering on their stated ambitions on earlier diagnosis; this is something we will continue to push for ahead of the National Screening Committee’s decision later this year.
A focus on unlocking health data is needed and we are delighted to see this included in the Plan. This has the potential to act as an enabler to transformative care and precision medicine, in conjunction with plans for faster regulatory approval for innovative medicines and a focus on research. Innovator passports to accelerate the introduction of these new technologies across the NHS are similarly welcome, and key to ensuring patients from all backgrounds all over the country can benefit. This is especially relevant for prostate cancer, where ethnic and regional disparities in outcome remain, and early detection and personalised treatment are key to maximising the chances of survival.
The UK is currently one of the worst performers on prostate cancer in the OECD. Every year, over 12,000 men die of prostate cancer – that’s one father, brother, son or friend every 45 minutes. We are hopeful that these urgently needed reforms, prioritising prevention, diagnostic and treatment innovation and tackling socioeconomic and racial health disparities, will make a positive difference in prostate cancer survivorship.”