A HEAD and neck cancer surgery service in Worcestershire which could be axed is better than the favoured rival bid in Gloucestershire, according to an independent report.
A national report on head and neck cancer patient care has been welcomed by health chiefs as further proof of the quality of the Worcestershire service. They say it is a reason not to scrap the service in favour of a centre based solely in Gloucestershire.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust was the only organisation in the Three Counties Cancer Network (3CCN) to receive the top rating in all three categories in an audit of cancer services.
The National Head and Neck Cancer Comparative Audit: Data for Head and Neck Oncology (DAHNO) report found Worcestershire’s hospitals are in front of Hereford and Gloucester hospitals when it comes to aspects of specialist surgery.
Experts gave Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust the top, green, rating across the board. Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was rated amber and Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust were red for some aspects.
The Worcestershire trust was one of the best in the country on the percentage of patients who had their treatment shaped by discussions by a multi-disciplinary team (MDT). The role of MDTs in ensuring patients get the best care was called ‘pivotal’ by the report’s authors.
All patients at Worcestershire hospitals had this MDT meeting compared with 88 per cent in Gloucestershire and 79 per cent in Herefordshire. The trust was also highly rated for making sure patients received test results in a timely way and giving high quality information.
Trust chief executive John Rostill said: “This report strengthens our resolve to do everything we can to keep these services local, for the benefit of local patients.
“We hope that the 3 Counties Cancer Network will also take stock of these findings, and the outpouring of public support, as they weigh up whether to continue with their attempts to centralise on a single site all surgery for head and neck cancer patients across Gloucestershire, Herefordshire Worcestershire and parts of Powys.”
The service could be scrapped at Worcestershire Royal Hospital after an expert review panel expressed a preference that it be centralised at Gloucestershire Royal Royal Hospital.
However, the 3CCN has yet to make a recommendation to the primary care trusts in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.
This recommendation will be based on the findings of the review panel, the review by cancer tsar Mike Richards and any proposals arising from talks between clinicians and the NHS trusts involved.
• Click the picture below to download our donation form.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here