Cancer is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Ireland. Each year about 20,000 Irish people develop cancer and 7,500 die of the disease. One in four people overall will die from cancer and 60% of cancer patients die within five years of diagnosis. Although cancer incidence appears to be falling, the actual number of people developing cancer is expected to increase because our population is ageing. The number of new cases the system can expect to deal with by 2020 will represent an increase of 107% on the number dealt with in 2000. We now have approximately 120,000 cancer survivors.
The HSE is committed to the provision and development of cancer services in accordance with Cancer Control 2006. This document, which follows on from the Cancer Strategy document of 1996, outlines a proposal for the development of four managed cancer control networks, each serving a population of around one million people.
Each will have a fully integrated service to include primary care, hospital care, palliative care, psycho-oncology and supportive care. These networks will allow, for example, hospitals to cooperate to provide services when the population base of each hospital may be too small for them to do this in isolation.
The emphasis in such a network will be on connection and partnership rather than isolation and self-sufficiency, on distribution of resources rather than centralisation, and on maximizing the benefits for all patients. Each network should be self-sufficient in all but a small number of comparatively uncommon or complex cancers.
While the emphasis in the strategy is on delivering quality of access to high quality of care to local regions, the strategy recognizes that the reorganization of services is planned, it is clear that the price for this plan will be that some smaller hospitals will no longer be allowed deliver certain types of cancer care to their own catchment populations.
While they will continue to be part of the cancer care network, cancer surgery, for example, is likely to move from some of the smaller centres to larger centres. The strategy proposes two major cancer treatment centres in each of the four new regions.
Cancer care would, under the new model, be limited to a smaller number of centres which come together in managed cancer control networks to pool knowledge, expertise, experience, skills and technology.
These proposed changes are based on good evidence that patients with many common cancers are more likely to survive and to experience better outcomes if they are treated by multidisciplinary teams in specialist centres.
BreastCheck is Ireland's national breast screening programme. The aim of the programme is the early detection and treatment of breast cancer in women who show no symptoms of the disease. BreastCheck is currently available in the North East, East, Midlands and South East of the country. In May 2005 the Minister announced plans for the development of a further two Breastcheck clinics to cover the Southern and Western regions of Ireland. It is expected that the target date of 2007 for commencement of the roll out to these regions will be met.
Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer that affects women in Ireland. Cervical cancer is preventable so early detection and treatment is important. Phase one of the Irish Cervical Screening Programme is up and running in the Health Service Executive (Mid-Western) Area. In phase one of the Programme, cervical screening is being offered to 74,000 women in the 25-60 age group, free of charge, at five-yearly intervals. Under Ireland's National Health Strategy, a commitment has been made by Government to extend the Screening Programme to the rest of the country.
Related Links:
Click here to link to the National Cancer Registry Ireland
Click here to link to Review of BreastCare Services at Portlaoise Hospital
Click here to link to HIQA – Rebecca O’Malley Report
HSE publishes first Progress Report on the Implementation Plan of the HIQA investigation into the care received by Rebecca O'Malley
20 centres that currently provide breastcare services delivered through weekly multidisciplinary team working
HSE re assures women who have had symptomatic breast assessment in the past two years resulting in a diagnosis that excluded breast cancer
Link to Palliative Care for All Report (2008)
Link to HIQA Investigation Reports relating to Symptomatic Breast Disease at CUH and Mid Western Regional Hospital Limerick
Link to HIQA HTA on role of vaccination against Human Papillomavirus (HPV) in reducing the risk of cervical cancer in Ireland
Link to HIQA Colorectal Cancer Screening Programme HTA
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Last updated on: 08 / 07 / 2010