What is a cancer centre?
Why are cancer services being moved? Will cancer services no longer be available in other hospitals?
Will each cancer centre deal with every type of cancer?
What about patients who live far away from a cancer centre?
How have services changed so far?
What are the next steps?
What is a cancer centre?
A cancer centre is a health centre facility in which staff with specialist expertise in cancer / specific types of cancer are concentrated.
This ensures an appropriate workload and the availability of necessary supports to achieve the best practice.
Cancer centres will work closely with other hospitals and the community to ensure appropriate aspects of patient care are delivered as close to home as possible.
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Why are cancer services being moved? Will cancer services no longer be available in other hospitals?
For certain cancer tests and treatments, the results for patients are best if the hospital and team are doing this work on a regular basis. Providing these services in a cancer centre will ensure patients have the best chance of surviving cancer.
A number of other hospitals will have linkages with cancer centres and continue to provide important cancer services, such as chemotherapy, closer to the patient’s home. Patient support services, palliative care, certain follow-up tests and important non-cancer treatment will continue to be provided in hospitals that are not cancer centres.
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Will each cancer centre deal with every type of cancer?
No. Some cancers occur less commonly than others. The services and expertise for these will be concentrated in a smaller number of cancer centres.
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What about patients who live far away from a cancer centre?
The Travel2Care scheme (http://www.cancer.ie/travel2care.php) is funded by the National Cancer Control Programme and run by the Irish Cancer Society. It can help patients meet some of the cost of travelling to a cancer centre for tests or treatment.
Patients who have been given an appointment in a cancer centre are sent an information pack which contains information on the Travel2Care Scheme. Application forms are available from Siobhán Dixon, Grants Administrator, Irish Cancer Society Tel: 01-2316619 or email: travel2care@irishcancer.ie or they may be downloaded from the Irish Cancer Society webpage. (http://www.cancer.ie/travel2care.php)
Remember, certain cancer services will still be available closer to home.
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How have services changed so far?
Services for patients with breast symptoms have been reorganised during 2008. Each of the eight cancer centres provides clinics for the assessment of women with concerning breast symptoms. All eight centres also carry out breast cancer surgery. The remaining breast services in non-cancer centre hospitals will be transferred to cancer centres during early 2009.
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What are the next steps?
The target is to have 90% of cancer services transferred to the eight cancer centres by the end of 2009. The next services to be reorganised will be those for lung and prostate cancers.
The development of radiotherapy services in Ireland is ongoing as part of the National Plan for Radiation Oncology.
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Last updated on: 19 / 09 / 2011