http://www.cancer.ie/care_to_drive_index.php

Over the last 3 to 4 months, the Irish Cancer Society has been running a pilot Volunteer Driver Programme in Leinster.

The aim of this is to provide transport services for cancer patients who do not live near their place of care. It is modeled on a similar system which is operated by the Canadian Cancer Society and receives funding from the National Cancer Control Programme.

The scheme is due to be rolled out nationwide with 6 - 12 months.

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Letter received by Senator Deirdre De Burca from Mary Harney TD in relation to likely impact on Sligo General Hospital and Patients (Oct 2008).

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Position Paper prepared by the Hospital Management Committee
The following letter was sent to Prof. Tom Keane by the Hospital Management Committee at SGH in May this year.

It contains information that may interest readers in relation to the situation at Sligo re. Cancer Services.

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A Strategy for Cancer Control in Ireland

This is the report on which the changes at Sligo are based. It was prepared by the National Cancer Forum, which is a body made up of entirely of Medical professionals, nominated to the Forum by associations such as the Royal College of Surgeons, the Irish Cancer Society and the Minister for Health and Children.

This report specifies that each Centre of Excellence should serve a minimum population of 500k people, and that there should be ‘about 8′ centres in Ireland. It does not specify the locations. These were chosen by the HSE.

Report

National Quality Assurance Standards for Symptomatic Breast Disease Services

This report was produced by the leading Breast Surgeon, Prof. Niall O’Higgins in 2006. It states that a Centre of Excellence for Breast Surgery should serve a minimum populatin of 300 to 350k people, that it should be equipped to deal with 150 new cancer cases each year and that it should be staffed by a minimum of 2 experienced Breast Surgeons.

Report

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Given that our 5 year cancer survival rates do not compare favourably with other EU nations, the Green Party supports the National Cancer Strategy as devised by the National Cancer Review Board.

We also support the concept of 8 Centres of Excellence, but like many other people, are concerned that patients in the North West will have to travel considerable distances to access these Centres.

On this basis, our representative in Sligo, Brian Scanlon, raised the issue at a Green Party National Council meeting earlier this year. A decision was taken at this meeting to put a motion to Convention, calling for a review of the locations of the Centres of Excellence such that people had the North West had equal access to people in other parts of the country. This motion was passed at Convention.

Following this, a meeting was arranged by Senator Deirdre De Burca between Green Party representatives and Prof. Tom Keane, the Interim Director of the National Cancer Strategy. This meeting was attended by the me, where I put numerous questions to Prof. Keane as to why a Centre of Excellence could not be located in the North West.

Based on the answers I received at this meeting, I was re-assured that the best short term solution for the people of the North West was that a single Centre of Excellence be maintained in Galway, with the proviso that the situation in Sligo be continually monitored such that if there was an increase in the number of new cancer cases presenting at Sligo, that Sligo should be considered as a 9th Centre of Excellence without delay.

Our local group accepted this view and over the last 3 months has been obtaining information from the HSE regarding the situation re. new cases at Sligo and capacity at Galway, such that if there is a material change in the situation, that we will re-visit our position.

In the interim, the reality is that cancer sufferers from the North West are already using services at Galway, and as such, everybody involved in this debate needs to exercise great care in making claims about the quality of care that is being provided at Galway.

From this point of view, I am concerned about the leaflet that is currently being distributed by the Save Our Cancer Services Group.

The leaflet refers repeatedly to ‘Death by Geography’, to the HSE’s ‘Pay or Die’ policy, warns that ‘frightening statistics’ are contained within and suggests that the contents of the leaflet ‘could affect you or your family’.

While I do not agree with this type of language, it is language I have come to expect and accept.

However, the leaflet makes a further claim that I believe is totally alarmist and which I do not accept.

It says:

“Galway does not have the proven results that Sligo has” and “Treatment is best at Sligo General Hospital”.

These claims clearly imply that the standard of care for cancer sufferers at University College Hospital Galway is in some way inferior.

There is not a shred of evidence to back up this claim, and cancer sufferers who will attend Galway for treatment in the coming months should not be led to believe that the standard of care they will receive is inferior in any way.
These claims are alarmist and they should not have been made.

Garreth

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