I am not a member of any political party but I am quite angry about the fact that Gordon Brown says this will go if the Tories get into power.  To make matters worse, Cameron doesn't bother responding.

I would like to know what this allegation is based upon and whether it is going to be Conservative policy.  I've emailed all of the parties and am waiting to get a response.  I naively hoped that this would have been a clinical standard that the NHS should be working to, not a political issue. 

My partner was diagnosed with Leukaemia and was on the verge of going into white cell coma which he might not have survived, thank god for the BARDOC service doctor who rushed him to hospital. 

Maybe if we email all of the parties we can get some assurances that they will all support this guarantee. 

My understanding is that the Tories have failed to state they will keep the current two week urgent referral time for peopel suspected of having cancer. The Tories manifesto does not uphold the current NHS targets and will not be drawn on maintaining front line NHS services at the current level. Labour manifesto has avowed to ensure diagnosis is given to patients within a week of this two week appointment wherever clinically possible. Whilst GB may not be the flavour of the month (far too busy running a country to be airbrushed and stylised for the cameras) let us not forget it is the current government who brought in the two week targets, the current government who has built many new, modern hospitals that are more fit for twenty first century healthcare delivery and they are the government that has given free prescriptions to people with cancer. Tess

Two weeks from GP referral is very welcome, but it is the start of treatment that counts.  G saw a respitory consultant ten days after a GP request for an urgent referral, but then had to wait ten weeks for a surgical proceedure to reflate his lung.  All that time, the tumour was growing.  Cancer patients need to be fast tracked at ALL stages of treatment.

Hi Daffie and Tessa2

Thanks for your replies, Daffie, that 10 week wait beggars belief, I agree with you 100% about fast tracking at all stages.

Thanks Tessa2, it perturbs me that the other parties aren't giving a detailed commitment on whether they will uphold or do away with the 2 week guarantee.  While Cameron is saying he will increase the NHS budget, he doesn't specify what he's going to spend it on in any detail.  Also, while he says he wants to focus on outcomes rather than process, actually it is the quality of care throughout that is crucial and should include delivering treatment in a timely manner.  

Lastly, it would be good to hear from all of the parties regarding the Macmillan campaign to improve access to benefits for cancer patients. 

If I get any emails from the Parties, I'll add them to this discussion.

kind regards to you both and to your families

 

wornoutcarer

iv only  ever voted once in my life and im 54...i know i only look 21 !  [ lol ]

i think i am going to vote labour , on the grounds that i have had good treatment since been diagnosed with NHL , and im not sure if that would be the same under a different goverment..

maybe that hung parliment would be a good thing if it means we get to hang all mp`s....

i dont follow politics so i dont know who to vote for really...i just think i should vote for who ever will give ill people the best treatment..

its strange...scarborough hospital was called the 5th worst in the uk.....but the chemo unit is so so different to the hospital...

From one worn out carer to another. 

 

The thought of any government dictat that cancer care should be determined by "outcomes" frightens me.  What are the right outcomes? and where does that leave those unfortunates facing a terminal diagnosis?

 

 

 

 

Dear all

A couple of results to report!  First of all, an aide of Mr Cameron's has replied to my email, as shown below, secondly following a posting I made on the 'Comment Is Free' section in the Guardian, the deputy editor commissioned an article to examine the stances of the 3 main parties, I will put this in my next reply as it's quite a long article but helpful all the same.  I'm disappointed that no mention is made of MacMillans Accessing Benefits campaign.

"I am writing on behalf of David Cameron to thank you for your e-mail.

 It is good of you to get in touch and I was sorry to read of your partner’s ill health. I do hope that his treatment is going well.

 It is shameful that the Labour Party, knowing that we are the only party that is going to increase investment in the NHS, have decided deliberately to scare patients and misrepresent what we have said. Gordon Brown should withdraw this leaflet immediately and write to apologise to every woman to whom it has been sent.

 David Cameron has made the NHS his priority, and the Conservatives have a series of policies offer real help to cancer patients.

 First, we will not stop you seeing a cancer specialist within two weeks. We know that it is essential that cancer patients are seen quickly – and they will be under our NHS reforms. We are giving patients real choice about where they go for hospital treatment, so that they don’t need to sit on a waiting list. And we are the only Party that has pledged to put more money into the NHS every year. We will do all we can to get as much of this money as possible to the frontline.      

 But waiting times are not all that matters. Cancer patients also need top-quality treatment. It is a scandal that many of the best new cancer drugs are not available on the NHS. Conservatives will create a Cancer Drugs Fund, worth £200 million a year, so that cancer patients can get all the best new cancer drugs for free on the NHS.

 The simple truth is that Labour’s jobs tax will cost the NHS £200 million a year. We will stop the jobs tax – and use the money saved by the NHS to give cancer sufferers the drugs they need.

 We believe our plans will make NHS cancer services world-class. Cancer experts think so too. Our approach has been endorsed by Professor David Kerr, one of the world’s top cancer specialists. David Kerr is convinced that the Conservative Party offers the best future for our NHS and for our country. He has said that the Conservatives have “the right values and policies to further improve the NHS” and a “clear programme to deliver the quality of cancer care the British people deserve and expect”.

 I hope that this puts your mind at rest. Thank you very much for getting in touch.

 Kind regards,

 

Lara

Hi

Rather than the article, I'm attaching a link as I'm not sure what the rules would be on lifting an entire article from a newspaper.  It is well worth reading.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/may/04/truth-cancer-diagnosis-guarantee

What's more you can comment on the article if you wish to.

kind regards

 

wornoutcarer