Petition for cancer treatment to be funded reaches 46,000 signatories
A spokesman for the charity said: 'Every year approximately 6,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with NETs, a complex and often slow-growing cancer that can be difficult to detect and treat.
'Many patients develop tumours in the liver where the treatment could offer significant benefits.
'Sirt involves injecting millions of tiny radioactive beads called microspheres – smaller than the width of a human hair – into the blood supply in the liver to destroy cancer cells.'
The spokesman said that despite approval by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in May 2024, NHS England had yet to commission it meaning that patients had no timetable for when it might become available.
He added that Sirt was already available on the NHS for patients whose liver cancer developed in the organ directly or which had spread to it from the bowel but NET patients remained excluded.
Layla Stephen, a NET patient from Hampshire and director of strategy and finance for Planets, said: 'Patients are missing out simply because of red tape.
'Without NHS commissioning, only those that can afford to go private have access to Sirt and that is simply not right or fair – we need to change this.'
Ms Stephen added: 'In a statement earlier this year, NHS England said it was developing a national policy on Sirt to ensure all patients across England have the best possible treatment, yet there is still no confirmed timeline despite approval in May last year, leaving patients in limbo and suffering agonising uncertainty.'
Caroline Nokes, Conservative MP for Romsey and Southampton North, has written to health and social care secretary Wes Streeting about the issue.
She said: 'Constituents of mine with neuroendocrine tumours should not be caught in a bureaucratic limbo when effective treatment is both available and approved. There needs to be fairness and transparency for these patients.'
An NHS spokeswoman said previously: 'The NHS understands the concerns raised about access to selective internal radiation therapy (Sirt) for neuroendocrine tumours in the liver.
'The health service is currently reviewing a clinical proposal and developing a new national mandated NHS policy on Sirt to ensure all patients across England have the best possible treatment for their liver metastases.'
The petition can be found at: change.org/p/ensure-access-for-cancer-patients-to-life-changing-treatment-approved-by-nice.
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South Wales Argus
3 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
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Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
A fundamental flaw in Labour's 10-year plan for the health service
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The Doctor in your pocket will see you now! But will ministers really be able to deliver the all-singing, all-dancing NHS app they are promising patients by 2028?
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According to the Government's 10 Year Health Plan, published yesterday, the changes will help put an end to the '8am scramble' for a GP appointment and ensure everyone who needs a same-day consultation is able to get one The Department of Health and Social Care said letting patients book an appointment digitally rather than using the existing 'convoluted process' will save the NHS £200million over three years. They will be able to link the app to wearable technology, such as exercise trackers and blood pressure monitors, with the data uploaded to their medical records. The AI will monitor this data and alert users to potentially concerning changes so they can seek care before they become serious. Poorer patients with some medical conditions will be given these gadgets for free. The digital transformation will be underpinned by a new Single Patient Record, which will bring together all of a patient's medical notes for the first time. This will mean they do not have to repeat their medical history to each clinician they see. Under the plan, the NHS will axe two-thirds of outpatient appointments – which currently cost a total of £14billion a year. These will be replaced by automated information, digital advice, direct input from specialists and patient-initiated follow-ups via the NHS App. The NHS will also embrace AI for staff, with automatic scribes taking notes for doctors and producing the first drafts of care plans. Mr Streeting last night told the Mail: 'For staff, this means less admin, fewer missed appointments, and – best of all – more time with the people that need face-to-face care the most. For the NHS, it's a smarter system that can deliver more and save millions of pounds.' Patients who are unable to get an answer from the AI bot will be able to leave a question for a specialist to answer. The app will also offer users access to their full medical records and test results and allow them to book vaccinations and self-refer for talking therapy, physiotherapy, podiatry and audiology. Announcing the 10 Year Health Plan at an event in east London, Keir Starmer said: 'For far too long, the NHS has been stuck in the past, reliant on letters, lengthy phone queues and even fax machines.' The Prime Minister added: 'Our 10 Year Health Plan will bring [the NHS] into the digital age by opening up fairer and more convenient access to healthcare.' The PM and Mr Streeting unveiled 'three big shifts' in the way the NHS operates. It will aim to move from an analogue to digital service; cut demand for treatment by preventing ill health in the first place; and shift care from hospitals to the community. Caroline Abrahams of Age UK said: 'The potential of the NHS App … is truly exciting, but we must also ensure that no one is left behind.' Public libraries will run lessons on the app. Patients not comfortable using it will still be able to access care in the usual way. Rachel Power of the Patients Association, said: 'We welcome the ambition to expand the NHS App… but with nearly one in four facing barriers to digital access, we must ensure innovation doesn't come at the cost of inclusion.'
