Improving treatment
6.1 Reducing the length of time a patient has to wait for diagnosis and treatment of cancer is crucial to high quality care. Equally important is to ensure that the treatment they receive is of the highest standard and quality.
6.2 In the past patients could not be confident that the staff treating them were specialists in their type of cancer. And for too many years, patients' entitlement to some cancer drugs has depended on where they live and the funding policy of their health authority.
6.3 We will get high-quality cancer services through
- Setting out an evidence-based framework for the configuration of services, high quality care and effective drugs and technologies
- Implementing the guidance with appropriate resources
- Monitoring progress to achieve agreed standards.
6.4 The 1995 Calman/ Hine report and subsequent evidence-based Improving Outcomes guidance began this process but progress needs to be much faster and more consistent across the country. This chapter sets out the action that will be taken in each of these steps, to ensure that high quality services are provided in all parts of the country.
