The U.K. Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) is calling for action on a recent report by Cancer Research UK on the urgent needs of National Health Service (NHS) imaging services.
RCR President Dr. Giles Maskell said the independently commissioned report confirms demand for x-rays and other imaging modalities continue to rise at levels that are unsustainable with current funding. As shown in previous RCR surveys, patients are already experiencing unacceptable delays, according to Maskell.
"Urgent investment is required in staff and equipment if current health policy goals such as the earlier diagnosis of cancer are to be achieved," he said in a statement.
In related news, the RCR is also calling for action to implement the English Cancer Strategy 2015-2020 that was published in July by the Independent Cancer Taskforce. Improvements in cancer outcomes will be realized only when more cancers are detected at an earlier stage, which will require a change in diagnostic capacity that can only be achieved by a rapid increase in the number of radiologists, according to the RCR. There also needs to be greater investment in and access to radiotherapy treatments such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, molecular radiotherapy, and proton beam therapy, the RCR said.
Investing in the staff and equipment to achieve earlier diagnosis and to treat cancer at an earlier stage will also save money that is currently spent on treating advanced disease, according to Maskell. "The prospect of real progress in cancer care is now within reach, but urgent and decisive action is required if the ambitions of the Cancer Strategy are to be realized. Our patients will rightly expect nothing less," he said.
