Hewitt orders hospitals to publish cancer survival tables

League tables of cancer survival rates at every hospital in England are to be published as part of a new strategy unveiled today.

Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt announced that she had ordered a fresh look at the way cancer was treated to ensure all patients got "the best care there is".

National Cancer Director Mike Richards will lead the review of how to tackle a fast-rising number of cases - expected to increase by a third by 2020.

He will be examining "choice, quality and equity for cancer patients and on value for money" in talks with doctors, nurses and charities.

One element of the new Cancer Reform Strategy will be performance figures, allowing the public to compare hospitals and look for so-called "postcode lotteries".

Ms Hewitt unveiled the plans in a speech to the Britain Against Cancer conference in London.

"Having developed the foundations of a world-class cancer service, we have to make it self-sustaining. However, this cannot be based on the top-down approach of the past," she said.

"Now cancer specialists, GPs, Trusts and PCTs need to build on their local cancer networks to create flexible and innovative local services that respond to patients' needs.

"I have asked Mike Richards to work with cancer specialists to develop the Cancer Reform Strategy which will see every part of the NHS use established best practice in cancer care to see that every patient gets the best care there is."

Mr Richards said: "Major progress has been made in cancer across the whole country - death rates are falling, survival rates are improving, and patients are reporting better experiences of care.

"Trusts have revolutionised the way they deliver cancer services, by establishing specialist teams and by tackling the root causes of long waiting times.

"But there are even greater challenges ahead: the number of new cases of cancer is rising, as are patients' expectations; new treatments are in development which are likely to be expensive.

"We now need to deliver high-quality care to everyone with cancer and to get the best possible value for money within the NHS.

"We need to maximise the opportunities for prevention and early diagnosis and to shift care from inpatients to outpatients and from hospital to community.

"The Cancer Reform Strategy will build on the progress made through the NHS Cancer Plan. It will focus on choice, quality and equity for cancer patients and on value for money."