Plaid Cymru's Shadow Health Minister Elin Jones today unveiled the party's new Cancer Contract, seeking to improve cancer services in Wales. The three-point plan aims to:
- Reduce waiting times, with a 28-day target for diagnosis or the all-clear
- Set up a new treatments fund to improve access to new medicines, available to patients regardless of their postcode
- Provide one-to-one support for each patient before, during and after treatment
As part of its Cancer Contract, Plaid Cymru has committed to the creation of three diagnostic centres, which, according to Elin Jones, "will offer a full range of tests and have the necessary range of specialities and expertise". In addition, Jones claimed that a Plaid government would "ensure that every cancer patient is allocated a key worker for support and advice through their treatment."
These plans, which have the potential to save lives, form a part of Plaid's package of strong health policies, which also include: a sugary drinks tax, the recruitment of a 1,000 extra doctors, and further action on smoking. Moreover, the party also aims to reduce the number of preventable deaths by ensuring that boys, as well as girls, are given the free HPV vaccine.
Elin Jones expressed her disappointment at the Labour Welsh government's cancer care policies: "From the moment someone is suspected of having cancer they should be able to expect a high standard of service from diagnosis through to after care. Sadly, under the current Welsh government this is not happening. Waiting times for many life saving diagnostic tests are substantially longer in Wales than elsewhere in the UK. Around a third of patients in Wales are waiting longer than 6 weeks for an MRI scan, and there have been too many instances of patients in Wales having to move home and out of Wales in order to get the drugs and treatment they need. Cancer survival rates in Wales are currently amongst the lowest in Europe, and Plaid Cymru's plans aims to move Wales towards the best survival rates".
Plaid Cymru's Assembly candidate for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Adam Price, reiterated Elin Jones' comments: "It is a sad reality that everyone in Wales know someone who is suffering from cancer. With waiting times for diagnosis and treatment having deteriorated in recent years, it is clear that the Labour Welsh government has utterly failed to grasp the gravity of the situation."
Price went on to emphasise that "action on cancer is now critical", and explained that "waiting time targets for treatment via the urgent route - withing 62 days - have never been met by Labour". The Welsh government's own figures indicate that 81% of patients diagnosed with cancer began treatment within 62 days in October, which was not only below the target of 95%, but was also lower than September's 85.6% figure.
Elin Jones expressed her disappointment at the Labour Welsh government's cancer care policies: "From the moment someone is suspected of having cancer they should be able to expect a high standard of service from diagnosis through to after care. Sadly, under the current Welsh government this is not happening. Waiting times for many life saving diagnostic tests are substantially longer in Wales than elsewhere in the UK. Around a third of patients in Wales are waiting longer than 6 weeks for an MRI scan, and there have been too many instances of patients in Wales having to move home and out of Wales in order to get the drugs and treatment they need. Cancer survival rates in Wales are currently amongst the lowest in Europe, and Plaid Cymru's plans aims to move Wales towards the best survival rates".
Plaid Cymru's Assembly candidate for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Adam Price, reiterated Elin Jones' comments: "It is a sad reality that everyone in Wales know someone who is suffering from cancer. With waiting times for diagnosis and treatment having deteriorated in recent years, it is clear that the Labour Welsh government has utterly failed to grasp the gravity of the situation."
Price went on to emphasise that "action on cancer is now critical", and explained that "waiting time targets for treatment via the urgent route - withing 62 days - have never been met by Labour". The Welsh government's own figures indicate that 81% of patients diagnosed with cancer began treatment within 62 days in October, which was not only below the target of 95%, but was also lower than September's 85.6% figure.
Criticising the Labour Welsh government, Price added: "Meanwhile, diagnostic waiting times are a scandal, made even worse when compared with Scotland and England which consistently outperform Wales. The Welsh government has completely failed in its responsibility to cancer patients - this is the worst aspect of its NHS legacy. The contagious complacency within the Labour party in Wales has resulted in cancer patients facing the agony of longer waiting times, forced to endure a postcode lottery when accessing drugs, and in many cases left with slimmer chances of survival."
However, Price claimed that a Plaid government would "defy Labour's efforts to redefine success with manipulated targets and misleading headlines, and that Plaid refuses "to accept that this is as good as it gets for Wales. Our pioneering Cancer Contract outlines how a Plaid Cymru government would bring down waiting times, end the postcode lottery in accessing drugs, and improving support for individuals during treatment."
Summarising the main aims of the proposals, Elin Jones said: “Plaid Cymru’s cancer contract will ensure speedy diagnosis, access to the right drugs and treatments and the appropriate care and after care for cancer patients."
This year, the people of Wales have the opportunity to elect a government that will improve and potentially save lives. By May, Labour will have been in power in Wales for 17 years. Under the leadership of Leanne Wood, Plaid Cymru has fresh ideas that will have a positive impact on the people of Wales. With Leanne Wood as First Minister, innovative policies such as these proposals could be introduced in order to improve not only the NHS, but also education and the economy. Speaking on her YouTube channel, Leanne Wood said: "No one should suffer from cancer alone, and that is why Plaid Cymru, with our cancer pledge, is the change Wales needs".
Image: "Elin Jones - Ceredigion Cropped" by Plaid Cymru Swyddogol - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elin_Jones_-_Ceredigion_Cropped.jpg#/media/File:Elin_Jones_-_Ceredigion_Cropped.jpg).
