Posted on Tuesday 14 January 2025

in News

Young Lives vs Cancer’s response to Audit Wales’ report on Cancer Services in Wales 

This morning (Tuesday 14 January), Audit Wales published its long-awaited report on Cancer Services in Wales. The report outlines Audit Wales’ assessment of the Welsh Government’s strategic approach to improving cancer care, which includes key findings on the approach to children and young people’s cancer care. 

In response to the report, Helen Gravestock, Director of Policy, Communications and Voice at Young Lives vs Cancer said: 

“Today’s Audit Wales report on Cancer Services in Wales must lead to action from the Welsh Government, as it highlights significant gaps in Wales’ national strategic approach to improving cancer care, and in particular around children and young people.  

Young Lives vs Cancer has long been raising concerns about children and young people being overlooked in the strategic approach, and the impact this has on many areas, from service commissioning and standards to a lack of prioritisation of psychosocial support. 

We support Audit Wales’ assessment of the ‘Cancer Improvement Plan for NHS Wales 2023-2026’, and have previously raised concerns that the plan acknowledges children and young people have unique needs, but goes on to exclude any specific actions to address these needs. This approach again overlooks young patients, leaving them without all the tailored support they need. 

The report’s commentary on the lack of data and information on the experiences of children and young people with cancer is particularly welcome, as we have continued to raise concerns especially on the lack of experience capture for this age group. Only with accurate data can we truly improve services and effectively meet young cancer patients’ needs.  

We urge the Welsh Government to act swiftly on the report’s recommendations, and to quickly bring children and young people with cancer into sharp focus in their next steps.  

Young Lives vs Cancer stands ready to work with the Welsh Government, NHS Wales, and other partners to ensure that children and young people with cancer in Wales receive the specialist care and support they need and deserve” 

Key findings & recommendations 

Young Lives vs Cancer support Audit Wales’ assessment that the ‘Cancer Improvement Plan for NHS Wales 2023-2026’ fails to establish a sustainable, long-term framework and lacks detail on the specific needs of children and young people. While the plan does acknowledge this age group’s unique challenges, it excludes explicit actions for them. By not addressing these distinct needs with specific actions, it results in an adult-focused plan that misses the mark for children and young people. 

Having a dedicated, forward-thinking strategy that meets the needs of children and young people is essential to ensure they and their families receive consistent care and support. 

We also welcome the report’s comments on the lack of data and information on the provision of services for children and young people. For example, Digital Health and Care Wales currently groups all data for under 30-year-olds together in its Suspected Cancer Dashboard, whereas other patients are grouped in 10-year age bands. This, coupled with the exclusion of under-16s from the Cancer Patient Experience Survey in Wales, limits our understanding of how young patients experience cancer care. 

Among Audit Wales’ recommendations, we are especially encouraged by those calling for greater strategic clarity and stronger oversight of the Welsh Government’s approach. This includes calls for clarification on the status of the Cancer Improvement Plan and a review of leadership and oversight arrangements, as well as work with the NHS Executive and partners to deliver more accurate data and information about children and young people’s experiences.   

We urge the Welsh Government to adopt these recommendations without delay and to consider its approach to children and young people with cancer.  

We stand ready to work in partnership with the Welsh Government, NHS Wales, and other stakeholders to ensure that meaningful improvements are made for children and young people with cancer in Wales, through transforming these recommendations into tangible actions that will make a lasting difference for young cancer patients and their families. 

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