NHS cancer services ‘in need of additional investment’

NHS cancer services are in dire need for extra investment in order to continue meeting the needs of patients in England, according to Cancer Research UK.

A new report from the charity has called for more funds to be made available across all areas, particularly in terms of diagnostic services, while it also highlights the need to review the leadership and commissioning of cancer services to ensure sustainability.

NHS staff interviewed by the charity have observed that they have been working beyond capacity in order to maintain quality of care in the face of declining budgets, making it nearly impossible to meet all the targets required of them.

With the population continuing to age and further increases in cancer cases expected, it is vital that more money is injected now to prevent a deterioration of standards in future.

Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: "The people that have propped up these NHS services tell us in this report that enough is enough. They can't go on like this with no help or support coming over the horizon."

A recent study from the charity revealed that mortality rates for the top four cancers have declined in the UK in the last two decades, underlining the importance of maintaining these standards.