Cancer patients getting ‘below par care’ from eight out of ten health bodies
Data obtained by The Sun outlines a staggering postcode lottery of care across Britain
EIGHT out of ten health bodies in England are providing below par cancer care, a shocking new Ofsted-style inspection has revealed.
Data obtained by The Sun outlines a staggering postcode lottery of care across the country according to official NHS ratings.
It shows 86 per cent of England’s 209 NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups groups have been branded as “requiring improvement” while 24 have been declared “inadequate” – the bottom category.
And it means millions of cancer patients are getting treatment that’s not up to scratch.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt ordered the Ofsted-style crackdown last year to root out the worst-performing areas of the country for cancer, dementia and maternity care.
The poorest performing health bodies in England will be named and shamed when the data is officially released in the coming weeks.
Mr Hunt said he was determined to improve services last year after Britain was found to have one of the lowest cancer survival rates in Western Europe in 2010.
The rating system, which has four rankings, outstanding, good, requires improvement and inadequate, is designed to allow patients to put pressure on failing hospitals.
Hospitals which are failing can be put in “special measures” if they’re failing on key measures of care.
This is the first time the cancer figures have been published, although ratings for dementia, learning disabilities and diabetes were published last month.
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The Health Secretary, who has described the ratings system as a “step forward” for patients said inspectors would look at early diagnosis, treatment, post-diagnostic care and support.
The plan was to give all 209 CCGs an annual Ofsted-style rating — just as they currently do for hospitals and GP surgeries.
Experts will also record the number of cancers diagnosed in stages one and two and the number of cancers diagnosed in emergency care in order to improve rates of early diagnosis.
By 2018 Mr Hunt also wants to introduce a quality of life indicator for people living with cancer.
