The life expectancy of the NHS is performing “substantially less well,” according to a report, which the Prime Minister has defended.
In order to encourage individuals to undergo on-the-spot chest scans in trucks in supermarket parking lots, the government has created a pilot programme.
According to Rishi Sunak, the extended screenings have already made a “enormous difference” and will save thousands of lives. It is hoped that the programme will boost the frequency of early lung cancer diagnoses.
A report by The King’s Fund found the NHS ’lags behind our peers’ on healthcare outcomes including cancer, and is ‘not by any means where we should be’.
Visiting one of the screening facilities in Nottinghamshire today, Mr Sunak said: ‘As well as our immediate priority to invest record sums in the NHS to cut waiting lists, I want to make sure that the NHS is fit for the future.
‘Today’s announcement – the expansion of lung cancer screening – is a good example of that.
‘Lung cancer is the leading cause of death by cancer in the UK and we know that if you catch it early then you can much more improve the chances of people surviving it.’
Pressed about the findings of The King’s Fund report, Mr Sunak conceded that there is ‘work to do’ but insisted he could ‘fix’ outstanding issues.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay refused to say whether the number of cancer deaths could be linked to austerity policies pursued by the Conservatives during the past 13 years.
Asked whether spending cuts were one of the reasons behind deprivation and poor health, he said: ‘There’s a range of factors why this programme is targeted in communities like this, it’s because there are high rates of smoking and we know there are often high rates of smoking in deprived communities, and that is what this programme enables us to do, is to target the checks together with early intervention into the most deprived communities.’
The report found the UK is ‘significantly’ lagging behind its peers in terms of cancer survival rates, which in turn is dragging down life expectancy.
The NHS performs poorly on outcomes across several major disease groups and health conditions linked to avoidable death.
Siva Anandaciva, the report’s author and chief analyst at The King’s Fund, said: ‘On healthcare outcomes specifically, both for the outcomes that a system can control and those wider measures that rely on services that keep us healthy… we lag behind our peers. We are not by any means where we should be.’