Welsh Conservatives to bring forward Senedd motion on damning cancer report
Emily Price
The Welsh Conservatives are set to bring forward a Senedd motion on a damning report that revealed shortcomings in cancer services in Wales.
Findings from the spending watchdog Audit Wales concluded that stronger national leadership was urgently needed to improve cancer services.
It also found that there had been a “continuing failure to meet national performance targets for cancer”.
Audit Wales said the national target of 75% of cancer patients starting treatment within 62 days had not been met by any of Wales’ seven health boards since August 2020.
The report also found an alarming lack of leadership that had fuelled confusion about who is in charge.
‘Disappointed’
Tenovus Cancer Care said the charity was deeply “saddened and disappointed” by the findings.
In the Senedd next week, the Tories will bring forward a debate to highlight the failings uncovered by Audit Wales.
The group will call on the government to implement all of the report’s ten recommendations to improve cancer services.
Shadow Secretary for Health and Social Care, James Evans said: “Under the Welsh Labour Government, barely half of Welsh cancer patients are receiving treatment within the target time. This is completely unacceptable, and cannot continue.
“Audit Wales are clear, throwing money at the problem will achieve nothing. Only through a change in government will we see the ‘stronger and clearer national leadership’ required to drive through the improvements that we need to see for patients.
“In the Senedd next week, we’re calling on the Welsh Labour Government to set a clear timeframe for cancer patients to start treatment, and also adopt Audit Wales’ 10 recommendations from their Cancer Services in Wales report.”
‘Focused’
The Welsh Government says it is committed to improving cancer services in Wales.
A spokesperson said: “We are absolutely focused on working with the NHS to improve access to diagnosis and treatment as part of our target for 75% of those diagnosed to begin treatment within 62 days of when their cancer is first suspected.
“We are also revising our national cancer leadership arrangements to provide a clearer and stronger direction for cancer improvement.”
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Hypocrisy at every single turn. Their economy crashing five minute Prime Minister was threatening to scrap cancer treatment on the NHS and condemn countless people to an early grave just to corner the money for her hare brained schemes. How kind.
It doesn’t only need a change of government. It is the whole system.
Health management must be fully accountable to the nation and to its elected representatives both local and at national Senedd level.
For all the Tories in criticism of the current Welsh government, they show no alternative to the current system: Centralised and Out of touch of the population they suppose to serve.
I should add that England (under the Tories) were in the same difficulties, if not even worse than our own in Wales.