Prostate sufferers 'let down by NHS' » Health » 24dash.com

Prostate cancer services remain patchy four years after the publication of NHS guidelines intended to ensure equal access to high quality treatment, it was claimed today.

In 2002, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice), set clear standards to be met by all 34 NHS cancer networks in England.

But five networks - groups of local Primary Care Trusts that together plan cancer strategies - had still not agreed plans for implementing the Improving Outcome Guidance (IOG), a report said today.

Fewer than a quarter of networks had made their plans publicly accessible, making it hard to monitor progress.

The Nice guidance said all patients' cases should be dealt with by a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) involving all key professionals with a role in treating prostate cancer.

But this recommendation had not been followed by all cancer networks, said the campaign group Prostate Cancer Charter for Action, which conducted the survey.

Five networks had less than 100% of patients treated by an MDT.

Other guidelines calling for a central role for specialist nurses were also not being adopted in some areas.

Prostate cancer specialist nurses were five times more likely to be found in some networks than in others, and there was a more than 10-fold variation in numbers of urological nurses.

Cancer networks were not even all agreed on what constitutes a specialist nurse.

The report also highlighted widespread variation in the ways that networks provide information and support to patients.

The survey was conducted via a questionnaire sent to all 34 cancer networks, 24 of which replied.

Mike Birtwistle, spokesman for Prostate Cancer Charter for Action, said: "These findings make worrying reading for all men. We know that men with prostate cancer report a significantly worse experience of their treatment and care than patients with other cancers.

"The NHS assured us the Improving Outcomes Guidance would change this, but we now find that it is not being consistently implemented. This will mean that too many men with prostate cancer will continue to be let down by the NHS."

The report was published to coincide with the National Prostate Cancer Conference taking place today in London.

Speaking at the meeting, John Neate, chief executive of The Prostate Cancer Charity, said men were having to fight "titanic battles" for access to tried and tested treatments.

He also spoke of the lack of specialist nurses, claiming that many were being forced to give up their roles and return to the wards.

A "short-sighted and devalued" NHS was compromising the care of prostate cancer patients, he claimed.

Mr Neate said: "It cannot be acceptable that men and their families who are already having to deal with the tough news of a prostate cancer diagnosis have to wrestle with NHS bureaucracy at the same time."

Prostate cancer is now the most common men's cancer in the UK. Each year, nearly 32,000 men are diagnosed with the disease and 10,000 men die from it.

Copyright Press Association 2006