Public Accounts Committee Publish New Report

A new report which raises serious concerns over standards of cancer care in the UK must be acted upon swiftly, a medical negligence expert at Irwin Mitchell has urged.

The publication compiled by the Public Accounts Committee has suggested that up to 10,000 lives could be saved every year if the quality of cancer survival rates can be improved to the standards seen in other countries.

According to MPs involved in the creation of the report, a particularly important issue is diagnosing the condition earlier – as this would be key to boosting survival rates.

Auriana Griffiths, a medical law and patients’ rights expert at Irwin Mitchell’s London office, said it is vital that improvements are seen in cancer care as soon as possible.

She outlined: “All people who face the trauma of needing treatment for cancer deserve to have access to the best possible quality of care available.

“This report has raised major concerns that standards in the UK are not meeting the same level seen abroad and it is vital that every effort is taken to rectify this problem before anymore patients are let down by failures to diagnose the condition early enough.

“The fact that so many deaths are thought to be avoidable raises serious concerns that I hope that NHS and the government can work quickly and effectively to address.”