Tag Archives: cancer

What innovation will mean to me as a bowel cancer patient

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By Charley Kitely

The definition of innovation according to the Collins English dictionary is ‘something newly introduced, such as a new method or device’. But, to a cancer patient, innovation means something much more.  It means opportunity, a chance and hope.

The Saatchi Medical Innovation Bill hopes to support doctors and scientists, providing them with the opportunity to question if there is a new way of managing cancer and the chance to develop treatment, perhaps even a cure. And then there is the hope doctors and scientists will refuse to accept that the standard procedure is good enough and consider a new way to treat cancer, providing people in my situation with the opportunity to test out their theory without the fear of legal recourse.

When I was diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2012, I was asked my family history.  A quick phone call to my parents revealed that unfortunately my odds weren’t great – my paternal Grandfather had died 35years previously and my maternal Grandmother some 15 years ago, both to bowel cancer.

But surely that was a long time ago and medical research has come a long way?  I was only 33 when diagnosed, a young, fit and healthy mum.  Surely my odds would be significantly better?

Yet 35 years after my grandfather was being treated for the same disease, we are still tackling cancer in the same way – cut, burn and poison.  And whilst there has been moderate improvements on the potential side effects (for example I haven’t lost my hair, it’s just thinned and my stomach convulsions are dramatically improved with an injection prior to chemo), unless detected early, the ‘cure rates’ of bowel cancer remain disappointing. 

I’m not by any means detracting from the ground-breaking work doctors and scientists are doing in the labs. There have been massive advancements in life pro-longing drugs such as Avastin and more recently Aflibercept, which have worked to keep me here, with my young family a year over my ‘expiry date’ and we are detecting cancer much earlier with better screening, though for bowel cancer patients, this is from the age of 65, not much help when you’re 33!

And this is why the Saatchi Medical Innovation Bill is so important.  This bill will give doctors the opportunity to consider new drugs or techniques that could go on to save the lives of people like me.  People who at the moment are written off as incurable, where the best I am offered is a comfortable quality of (shortened) life.

I am, in terms of bowel cancer patient, young and (if you forget the minor cancer detail) healthy.  I lead an active life, from swimming with dolphins to teaching my 3 and 5yr olds to ski (clearly against Drs orders!), I refuse to be defined by or compromise my ambitions just because I’m fitting fortnightly chemo sessions into my life.image

Given I have tried and exhausted the traditional routes, I am now looking at alternative treatment programmes to get me out of this pickle. Trials and innovation could be the answer for me surviving this disease.

We need to encourage innovation, allowing doctors a more exhaustive list of treatments to try out. I need to be able to look my doctor in the eye and ask him if he really has tried everything and if not, what else can we try.

Of course this is not to suggest my doctor will suddenly run into a laboratory, mix some random drugs together, give me an injection and hope all will be better.

R&D and drug development takes years to bring to market and for every successful drug, there are hundreds that don’t make it. And of course there are the research hospitals that already give patients the opportunity to be considered for trials.

But, this bill will make it possible for me to push for a new treatment, accepting the consequences are for me to bear.  It returns some control to the patient (which is something many with cancer feel is lost when they are diagnosed) and encourages better education.  Surely this can only be a good thing?

As patients, we should be open to new, exciting and alternative treatments.

There may not be the vast numbers of patients in new research, but if more of us consider new treatments rather than being scared by it, these figures will increase, prompting further confidence for other patients. We should be taking responsibility as much as the doctors in finding a cure, not only opting in to research programmes, but also taking an honest view of what we put in and around our bodies.

For me, that means avoiding things that could be considered to encourage cancer growth (sugar and dairy) and instead surround myself with things that prevent further tumours (lots of green veg and turmeric).

Doctors need to be encouraged to think beyond what they have always done.  As Einstein once said, ‘insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results’. If we continue to treat cancer as we have for the last 40 years, we can only expect the same results – more people needlessly dying to a disease that could be curable.

Innovation has to be at the heart of the next stage of cancer research and the Saatchi Medical Innovation Bill could be the bill that makes the difference for doctors to be able to innovate and think outside the box we seem so snugly determined to remain in.

 

 

Mumsnet: Campaign of the week

This week Mumsnet are getting behind the Saatchi Bill. Here is the blog post Lord Saatchi wrote for them. Read it here on Mumsnet.

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Sign-up here (http://eepurl.com/GcrZ9 ) to be the first to hear when the consultation launches.

And click here to follow us on Twitter @SaatchiBill and Facebook so we are ready to respond.

All cancer deaths are wasted deaths.

For many forms of the disease no new treatments have been developed for decades, and treatments remain brutal, painful and often ineffective.

But doctors are forced, by law, to offer only the standard treatments for cancer – or indeed any disease – even when the doctor knows that the patient is dying, and the standard treatment will not help.

We need innovation; we need to try new treatments where the old ones are known to lead only to death. But doctors are hampered by the courts: if doctors don’t follow the standard procedure they could be sued – a risk most are not willing to take.  The NHS predicts it will face a bill of up to £24 billion for legal cases in the coming years. And the figure is rising.

And of course, when a doctor is sued – even if they win their case –  the stress, isolation and fear they go through can wreck their careers and their lives.  This is why most doctors will not offer you anything other than the standard treatment – even if they know it won’t be efficacious. It’s the only safe course for them, legally, and so they are doomed to repeat an endless cycle of failure.

And by this maddening repetition, nothing is gained, nothing new is learned, no lives can be saved the next time round.

This is why I say cancer deaths are wasted deaths: when a patient dies of cancer, medical science is not advanced one inch. No other cancer patient, now or in the future, will benefit and no lessons will be learned that will improve treatments for others.

But we can change this: we are on the brink of a great medical moment.

I have introduced a Bill into the House of Lords that will, if it becomes law, protect doctors who want to try something new, who do not want to watch their patients dies needlessly.   The Saatchi Bill is about creating a movement of patients, like you, to change the law which stops doctors innovating and trying new treatments.

First, it means doctors will be protected if they innovate reasonably and carefully. To do so they must of course have patient consent and the agreement of other senior medical experts and practitioners. They cannot go it alone.

But if they get this consent, reasonably and carefully and if the patient wants them to, they can then innovate safe in the knowledge their lives and livelihoods will not be in jeopardy if the treatment fails.

Second, it will also stop maverick doctors from experimenting, recklessly, on patients. It will, in fact, tighten the law making it much harder for doctors to carry out untested treatments unreasonably.

This Bill is a patients’ bill – it is for you and me. With it we can go to our doctors and say: “Have you tried everything? I understand there is a treatment out there that might help – can you try it on me? I have nothing to lose.” And the doctor, for the first time ever, will be able to say yes.

But we are not there yet. The Secretary of State for Health, @Jeremy_Hunt says he will support the Bill and ensure it becomes law in the next session of Parliament – but only if the public want it and show that they want it, clearly and loudly. In February the Department of Health is launching a public consultation asking if doctors, lawyers and if you – patients and public – support the bill.

 We have one shot at it, and one shot only. If we fail, there is no second chance. I ask you to support the Bill, to respond to the consultation and to ask your doctor, your MP and your friends and families to support it too.

Sign-up here (http://eepurl.com/GcrZ9 ) to be the first to hear when the consultation launches.

And click here to follow us on Twitter @SaatchiBill and Facebook so we are ready to respond.

And do tell us what you think. Have you wanted different treatment but couldn’t get it? And would you like to see the Bill become law? We’d love to hear from you.

My brain tumour and me…

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By Claire Bullimore

I will always remember the day the doctor said: “I’m very, very sorry but we can’t help you, you have a very small percentage chance of recovery.”

I just sat there looking around the room trying to get my head around it.

“A tumour,” I said.

He said he was surprised I had not been showing symptoms a long time ago as it was one of the biggest he had seen. Must have been growing for around 10 years he said.

I said I had been telling my GP I had problems for years but they wouldn’t help me. He said he was going to get me a bed ASAP and get me into surgery. I felt sick. I just said “Wow, OK.” What else can you say to that?”

My train pulled into London Bridge Station that early morning in May 2008. I grabbed my usual coffee and walked to my building.

I had a beautiful view over the river and always loved the location I was in. I was 25 and enjoying my life, London is such a beautiful city and I loved being a part of the hustle and bustle of the city.

Overnight my life went from independent woman to where am I now. Anxious waiting for results, depending on a number of tablets including seizure medication.

I suddenly became a child again and was very dependent on my mum. I decided from the day I heard the words “You have a brain tumour”, this will not beat me and my faith would pull me through and win.

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Claire’s brain tumour x-ray

I knew things were going to change drastically, I had lost my speech, wordfinding, partially blind, weak on one side, heavily reliant on seizure medication, fatigue are just a few to mention. I wanted to be given a chance to get well. I wanted a chance to try something else rather than straight to surgery.

People would say they thought I was very strong and my positivity was inspiring, but the fear I was left with was life destroying. I would never be able to do the job I had before, I would never drive again, I would deal with fatigue for the rest of my life.. however determined you are; medication and brain surgery wears you down.

After my own battle to get as much as possible out of my life regardless of my health and disabilities. I knew I wanted to help others. While I sat at home recovering, I set up a support group through Facebook. I was about to meet others who understood. I knew very quickly that I could sympathise with others affected by a brain tumour. I set up www.auntymbraintumours.co.uk as a place for people to meet others.

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I have over 15,000 people viewing my social media pages and I can see what people want, don’t want, what their fears are. It is not just for patients with tumours but also for anyone who has been affected by a brain tumour.

I believe the support people need is not just during the initial diagnoses but long after the treatment. Aunty M Brain Tumours is a life-long support network”

Join our community and meet people who understand. Join us on Facebook and Twitter I am a presenter on Croydon Radio (online) and host a weekly show dedicated to people affected by a brain tumour. It is there to encourage everyone, it is somewhere they can learn about the issues that can affect them.

So that is why I support the Saatchi Bill.

I want my friends and others who are suffering from cancer or other long term illnesses, to be able to say to their doctor “can you do anything, what are the treatments available, is there anything new that I can try?’ and they will say ‘yes’

(read more about Claire’s story in her book: A Brain tumour’s travel tale)

 

How Medical Innovation Saved My Life

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By @DominicNutt diabetic and cancer patient

Two years ago I was diagnosed with a rare, incurable cancer. Had it not been for my surgeon, who pushed the boundaries of accepted treatment, the chances are that I would now be living on death row. But unless a new Bill is made law, other doctors may be too scared to do the same.

In December 2011, I developed a nagging pain in the lower right side of my stomach and was admitted to hospital for an emergency appendectomy. However, tests showed there was nothing wrong with my appendix. But my consultant, told me that “by luck” they had found on it a rare, 12mm neuroendocrine tumour (known as a Net).

It had not been responsible for the pain, the cause of which to this day remains a mystery.

I had my appendix removed, which is standard treatment for Nets – otherwise, the tumour would have spread and killed me, because Nets do not respond to chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

The next bit was tricky. Nets are so rare that there is little knowledge as to how they behave. All doctors do is make estimates based on limited case studies.

My consultant, a colorectal surgeon, said that standard procedure for a Net of 10mm or smaller is to remove it, but not to take any other action, since the best guess is that the chance of spread is low.

Anything over 20mm, however, and doctors will remove nearby lymph nodes, the first organs that cancers normally spread to before invading the rest of the body.

Anything between those sizes, like my tumour, leaves doctors scratching their heads. They would be entitled to take no action. Also, surgery to remove my lymph nodes would mean slicing out a large part of my colon, with all the inherent risks. I am an insulin-dependent diabetic, so the hazards of surgery were even greater for me.

Fortunately, my consultant reviewed my case with other experts and they recommended surgery.

When the results came back, they found a cancerous cell in one of the 17 lymph nodes they had removed. The cancer had spread, despite very low odds.

This is a tale of a doctor who was prepared to take a risk – one that has probably saved my life. But had there been complications, and had he not found a cancerous cell, I, or my widow, could have sued.

Last year, spending on negligence claims by the NHS Litigation Authority, which provides indemnity cover for such claims, was, for the first time, more than £1  billion.

And legal cases against the NHS pending in the litigation pipeline could amount to a bill of £24 billion – around half the UK defence budget.

Frightened of litigation, many doctors do not push the boundaries of medical knowledge, and opt instead for “safe” standard procedures.

I tell this tale in support of Maurice Saatchi, who has drafted the Medical Innovation Bill which, if passed, will allow doctors, with the patient’s consent and in cases where the evidence on standard procedures is unclear, to innovate.

It would enable them to review such cases with other experts – as my consultant did – and come to a collective decision. Following this process would give them a legal defence if things were to go wrong.

The Secretary of State for Health, @Jeremy_Hunt, supports the Bill and has opened it out to a public consultation.  He has told Parliament that if the public responds positively to the consultation, then the Bill will become law.

It’s now in our hands.

Dominic Nutt is part of the Saatchi Bill team.

 

Why innovation would help patients with womb cancer

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Photograph ©_honus_ on flickr 

By Kaz Molloy

As a womb cancer survivor I endured surgery, chemotherapy and then radiotherapy – often referred to as the slash, poison and burn approach to dealing with cancer.

Over the past few decades there have been many advances in detecting cancers early but the standard approaches to treatment remain mostly unchanged. In some cases the treatment regime has been the same for decades, leaving patients at the mercy of sometimes ineffective and often barbaric treatments.

Routine chemotherapy for womb cancer is a very recent innovation in the NHS as studies have shown that 1 in 10 women will be helped by chemo – so it is definitely worth trying.  But maybe an individual assay of each patient’s tumour might be able to detect which tumours will be susceptible to chemotherapy and which tumours won’t. This would spare 9 out of 10 patients (and their families) a seriously distressing treatment programme.

We are now in the 21st century and yet innovation in the treatment of most cancers has not progressed because of the failure of the NHS medical establishment to try anything new. Many doctors are afraid to try new procedures because of the risk of being sued if something goes wrong.

The Saatchi Bill seeks to bring about a change in the law to protect doctors and allow them to push forward with innovation in new treatments, which is something that we all want.

As far as womb cancer is concerned, although it is often classed as a rarer cancer, it is still a cancer with a relatively good survival rate, if detected early. It is predominantly a cancer of post menopausal women, although in recent years there have been more and more younger women being diagnosed. However, when they present at their GP with all the typical womb cancer symptoms, they are often told they are too young to have womb cancer so the chance of early detection is missed.

We at Womb Cancer Support UK would like GP’s to take our symptoms more seriously. Most of us had problems with heavy bleeding, fibroids, polyps etc. for many years prior to diagnosis. Some of us have had polycystic ovary syndrome or have Lynch Syndrome in our families.

Womb cancer, like cervical cancer, commonly goes through a well-known pre-cancerous stage known as EIN :  Endometrial Intraepithelial Neoplasia  (Abnormal thickening of the womb lining). Statistically a woman with EIN is according to one researcher 45 times more likely than a woman without EIN to develop womb cancer.

Of course until there are definite biomarkers for EIN and womb cancer, it seems sensible to give at risk women a far better chance of earlier diagnosis of womb cancer. Surely it would make sense that if a woman is presenting at her GP with severe heavy bleeding, that she be monitored to see if she has EIN and if it increases or decreases.

The issue of younger women being diagnosed with womb cancer also brings up the fertility issue. At present many young women are being denied the chance of motherhood because of the pressure to have an immediate hysterectomy and/or cancer treatment. We would like to see all women of child bearing age being given details of all options available to them. In the case of early stage cancer it is sometimes possible for a woman to go ahead with a pregnancy before any treatment commences.

Of course, what we at Womb Cancer Support UK would really like to see is more research done into the causes of womb cancer which will then hopefully lead to a simple screening test.

Some of the recent media reports about women getting womb cancer because they drank too many sugary drinks; drank too much/not enough coffee; don’t get enough exercise; are too fat; etc. are not helping to raise awareness. They are simply trying to blame the patient for getting cancer.  I know of women who have never drunk sugary drinks, who ran marathons and are/were far from being obese yet they still got womb cancer.

The blame game has to stop. Instead we need proper research to find out the causes of womb cancer.  GPs need to focus not on stereotypes, which can be misleading, but on symptoms, which are very clear.  To be fair to GPs, they need rapid access to diagnostic tests.  It’s not rocket science that when symptomatic patients have direct access to specialists they are diagnosed with cancer at a much earlier stage.

And just as one-size-fits-all cancer treatment isn’t suitable for every individual patient, neither is the NHS standard test for womb cancer: one-size-fits-all quick, cheap and nasty outpatient hysteroscopy/biopsy with no pain-relief.  This test may be well tolerated by some fortunately tough patients but may prove a nightmare and a deterrent for other patients.

Womb Cancer Support UK (WCSUK) started out in April 2011 as an online support group for women who had or had had a womb cancer diagnosis. It soon became apparent that there was very little awareness of womb cancer so we try to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms as well as offering support and advice to women who have been diagnosed.

About the author:

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Kaz Molloy, founder of Womb Cancer Support UK, was diagnosed with womb cancer at the end of 2009. After treatment which involved surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy she became aware of a lack of dedicated support for women with womb cancer so set up an online support group in April 2011.

They now raise awareness of womb cancer as well as continuing to offer support and advice.

Kaz is married and lives on Isle of Bute, off the west coast of Scotland.

http://wombcancersupportuk.weebly.com/

Daily Mail: ‘It could lead to a cure': Jeremy Hunt praises Saatchi’s bid to overhaul ‘medieval’ cancer care

Lord Saatchi and Josephine Hart

→READ: article in the Daily Mail

By Stephen Adams for The Mail on Sunday

Advertising guru Maurice Saatchi, whose wife died of ovarian cancer, has won Government backing for his private member’s Bill calling for more innovation in treatment of the disease.

When novelist Josephine Hart died two years ago, the Tory peer described her treatment  as ‘medieval’.

Lord Saatchi has since fought to enable doctors to use procedures other than surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

He argued they are too often hamstrung by legal rules which mean they can be sued if they ‘deviate’ from standard treatments, even if they know it will do little good.

 The peer, founder of advertising giants Saatchi  & Saatchi, sponsored the Medical Innovations Bill to reduce the threat of litigation and ‘encourage responsible innovation’.

And on Friday, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt praised the Bill, saying it ‘could lead to major breakthroughs, such as a cure for cancer’

Mr Hunt announced a ‘full and open consultation’ in the New Year to understand ‘the problems [doctors] face in innovating’ and strike ‘the right balance between innovation and safeguards’.

Last night, Lord Saatchi said: ‘I think the  Prime Minister and the Secretary of State want Britain to regain its place as the world leader  in medical innovation.’

He stressed patient safety was at the heart of his proposals. ‘We do not want reckless experimentation that puts patients at risk, and we don’t want patients to be treated like mice,’ he said.

Obtaining informed consent to take part in experimental treatments would remain essential, the peer stressed,  and doctors would retain full legal responsibility for  their decisions.

→READ: article in the Daily Mail

Your support won the Government consultation for the Saatchi Bill

The strength of public support for the Medical Innovation Bill (Saatchi Bill) has persuaded the Government to offer legislation along the lines of the Medical Innovation Bill, following a public consultation to start in January 2014 and report no later than May.

The ministerial statement and press release expressly referred to the professional and public support that Michael Ellis MP and Lord Saatchi had received (read them here). Your support won the consultation.

As a result of all this, Michael Ellis did not propose the Second Reading of his Bill today, and the Bill in its present form will not be proceeded with this Session.

Public support has got us this far and now, as we work with the Government, a new stage of the campaign to encourage more medical innovation begins.

This direct chance for patients and their families to affect policy will stand or fall by the quality of what we say.

Now is the time to begin to consider personal experience of treatment, to think what might be made better for friends, family and loved ones through innovation.

The team are excited that we have come this far, this fast. Thank you for making it happen.

There is a long road still to travel, but we are on our way.

Photograph: ©Phalinn Flickr

Government agree to full consultation on Saatchi Bill

Read full statement from the Department of Health: http://t.co/Tvcbvf7cpf

Department of Health - Medical Innovation Bill
Department of Health – Medical Innovation Bill

WRITTEN MINISTERIAL STATEMENT
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Medical Innovation (No 2) Bill
Friday 22 November 2013

The Secretary of State for Health (Jeremy Hunt): Medical innovation has been vital to the dramatic rise in life expectancy of the last century. This country has a proud heritage of medical innovation from Alexander Fleming and the discovery of penicillin to Sir Peter Mansfield’s enabling of magnetic resonance imaging.

The government should do whatever is needed to remove barriers that prevent innovation which can save and improve lives. We must create a climate where clinical pioneers have the freedom to make breakthroughs in treatment.

The Medical Innovation (No 2) Bill, sponsored by my honourable friend the Member for Northampton North (Michael Ellis), and the comparable Bill introduced by my noble friend Lord Saatchi in the other place, correctly identify the threat of litigation as one such barrier. Their hope is that legislation to clarify when medical innovation is responsible will reduce the risks of clinical negligence claims. Their argument is that with this threat diminished, doctors will be confident to innovate appropriately and responsibly. This
innovation could lead to major breakthroughs, such as a cure for cancer.

Their cause is a noble one, which has my wholehearted support. Lord Saatchi, in particular, is a great example of a parliamentarian motivated by conscience.

It is precisely because this issue is so important, because it affects us all, that we need a full and open consultation. A consultation that gets the views of patients on the right balance between innovation and safeguards. A consultation that hears from clinicians on the problems they face in innovating and how to overcome them. We are grateful to the hon Member and the noble Lord for their own work to understand and address these issues.

So the government commits today to carrying out a full consultation, working with Lord Saatchi and the hon Member for Northampton North. This will draw on the wide engagement and discussions that they have already carried out with the public, patients and the legal and medical professions. Such a consultation will enable an open debate on medical innovation, as well as highlighting its vital importance. The government expects to launch this consultation in January 2014 and to respond by May 2014.

My second commitment is that the government will seek to legislate at the earliest opportunity, subject to the results of the consultation.

We all owe a debt to the hon Member and Lord Saatchi for the great effort they have already expended on this issue. The government will work closely with them to bring this to a
satisfactory conclusion.

Read full statement from the Department of Health: http://t.co/Tvcbvf7cpf

 

 

The importance of innovation

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By Chris Lewis 

This piece has probably been one of the most challenging that I have ever written, because the subject can be so broad. Most of my writing is in the ‘cancer field,’ but I am going to write about some more general issues, and attempt to tie it all together by the end.

My first task is to define the word in simple terms, and this is the best description I have found. 

‘Innovation means doing something new, different, smarter or better, that will make a positive difference.’

As a self-employed business consultant in my life before cancer, I was always looking for solutions to problems. What could improve things, for both the business and the customer? Not all problems are solved by spending more money. It is often possible to make small changes to the way you do things, which can produce beneficial results. In many instances, it is very difficult for the people close to the business to either see or accept that change is required. That is where a fresh pair of eyes can really help.

Since cancer entered my life, it, and the treatment associated with it, have battered me for 6 years, meaning that I have been unable to continue my work. However, old habits die hard, and despite lengthy spells in hospital, I have been looking at ways to improve things in the current service.

The main thing that became obvious to me is that there is very little support, for people affected by cancer, outside the hospital environment. I was shocked to discover that! Before I got sick, I always assumed that the system would provide support for me where necessary. It is important to add, that I am not one for even asking for any help, but it would be nice to know if something was there for the people who may need it.

The fallout from a cancer diagnosis and treatment can be more damaging than the cancer itself, both physically and emotionally. Causing people to lose their job, partner, house etc and ultimately creating a downward spiral for that person. As more and more people are affected by cancer, this problem is increasing. Due to the fact that every case is unique, our previous approach of ‘one size fits all,’ is no longer appropriate.

Our population is so much more diverse now than it was even 20 years ago, and I am not convinced that our support reflects that. Different communities deal with these issues, in contrasting ways. Also we are only recently starting to get to grips with the different needs of young children compared to older people. How long has it taken for us to get to single sex wards?

Things have changed dramatically in recent years, and the way we live our lives is now totally different, with technology playing a massive part in that. However, when I look closer into the cancer world there are still many things that haven’t changed. One example of this is ‘support groups.’ I would like to start by saying there are some very good ones around. But mostly, they are run by volunteers, for people who are unwell. Not everyone can make a fixed monthly time, of course, and for some people, the last thing they really want to do is talk in front of others about their very personal issues. The attendance becomes sporadic, and after sometime they fold, mostly due to lack of support in running the group, or attendance drops due to lack of interest.

It is so important to start looking differently, at the way we deal with our healthcare, not just cancer. Ill health is not something that only happens to other people. Unfortunately it will happen to us all! We are now living in a 24/7 society, but, we don’t have a health service that reflects that! Our GPs rarely work after 7pm and at the weekends. Million pound machines lay idle, and waiting lists grow, as we struggle to accept weekend working. By the above definition, this would be innovation. (Working smarter)

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My business guru is Steve Jobs (Apple.) A recent example of innovation is the ipad. Jobs believed in it, when no one else could see where it would fit into the market, but his instincts were right, as by the middle of 2011, the iPad was proving to be a more revolutionary product than even the iPhone and the iPod. The iPod and iTunes changed the way people bought and listened to music. The iPhone changed what people could expect from their mobile phones. But the iPad was turning five industries upside down. It was changing the way consumers bought and read books, newspapers, and magazines — as well as the way they watched movies and television.

He was close to the market, and saw what the next trend might be and created it! He wasn’t afraid of criticism and was always looking to try new things. Today, we have technology to help us, but that is only really half the story. The biggest battle that I encounter in healthcare is that so many organisations are ‘closed’ to the idea of change. An air of suspicion is aroused. Red tape is thrown up to aid defences, and inevitably innovation is slowed. Ironically the welfare of the patient is cited as the reason that things can’t change! Excuse me, but things may improve if we looking at doing things differently!

People tell me that healthcare is not a business, but actually it is, just as charities are too! From my experience they can all be run ‘leaner and meaner.’ Innovation is something to embrace, not to fear! But until we learn that, we will always be holding back progress.

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Chris Lewis is an international cancer blogger, speaker, patient and mad Crystal Palace fan. Read Chris’ popular blog here: www.chris-cancercommunity.blogspot.co.uk and follow him on Twitter: @christheeagle1