Cancer patients shouldn’t be harmed by NHS staff shortages

My husband lost his life due to misdiagnosis even though the test results shown Cancer (admitted since) 2016.

I wanted to share a real life situation from an ex-colleague of mine who is about to receive a stem cell transplant later today at the MD Andersen Cancer Hospital in Houston, Texas. I want to avoid any political discussions here, though like all reasonable folk, recognise the significant shortfall in resources needed to achieve world class cancer outcomes for all patients. I’m advised that MDA is one of the world’s leading centres for cancer treatment; quite probably, a centre that others can aspire to – it has a fine reputation. Sadly there is also huge cost to this treatment, and no one can yet expect a 100% successful outcome. I also lost another friend treated at the same hospital in 2011, and was advised that his two years of treatment ran to seven figures.

Back to today, I have redacted and sanitised the following message which I received earlier from my ex-colleague, who is awaiting his transplant.

First of all, after my 7 rounds of chemo in 2016/17, my AML (Acute Myeloid Leukemia) relapsed back in November, and have been preparing for a stem cell transplant since then.

I went through a couple of weaker rounds of chemo in November, that didn’t stop the relapse, and it continued with a vengeance. Then stronger rounds in December and January have seemed to do the job pretty well. While a few leukemia cells may remain in my bone marrow, there is really nothing there (dead marrow) and therefore can’t even be effectively tested.

Since the strong round of chemo the first week of January, I have pretty much been in the hospital with various unidentified fevers, as my white cell count has been zero since mid December, so I am pretty much a sponge for what ever bug might be floating around. I somehow have avoided Flu and Pneumonia, and really haven’t been that sick, other than the phantom fevers.

Well the fevers have been under control for over a week, and 5 days ago I started the chemo to prep for the stem cell transplant. I finished it today, and have still not had side effects. This round was basically designed to kill what little is left in my bone marrow, and any other immune cells I have floating around in my body. It is critical that my body has no defense system to fight the transplant.

Now to current time:
I will receive the donor stem cells on Valentine’s Day. Because of privacy laws I really know very little about my donor other than he is a 22 year old male that lives somewhere in Europe, and has O+ blood type. He is a 10 of 10 match for the DNA markers they review for compatibility, and the doctors say it’s a good match for less risk of rejection.

I will start anti-rejection drugs tomorrow, and will continue for sometime as they monitor me for the “grafting” – i.e. when the donor stem cells take over my blood building process. I will have his blood type, and his DNA for blood making, skin, hair, etc. I will be a bit of an mutant going forward with DNA of two types. The recovery process will take a while, depending on the initial grafting, I could get out of the hospital in 2-3 weeks. We will probably be in an apartment within a 15 min drive to the MD Anderson Hospital for 2-3 months.

If I do experience GVHD (Graft Versus Host Disease) the effects can be very quick, and rapid response is critical, we will be much safer staying down here. Not to mention for a while I will be coming in every day for checks so it will keep life a little more liveable. After the risk of GVHD has subsided I will still have to be very careful with infections. The doctors describe that I will have the immune system of an infant when complete. I will have to take all my childhood, and vaccinations again, as they will all be gone. So that will be a 2 year process. Depending on progress, the doctors say I could return to work in 4-6 months, and I hope that is an accurate description, as I am really ready to get back to doing something productive aside from fighting leukemia!

My friend has shown tremendous fight and spirit over the past eighteen months, since the AML was diagnosed. It must have been particularly dispiriting when he relapsed, after almost twelve months of chemo. On top of this, his home was flooded out, following Hurricane Harvey, which dropped 52 inches of rain in his home area three days. Bad luck isn’t even the start of it.

I lost my mother last summer during her immunotherapy for melanomas in her liver. She was being treated with new drugs, which sadly, she failed to respond to the therapy. Its for these reasons, that I continue to support Cancer Support UK. I fully support Sir Harpal’s message above, as well as every practicality to prevent cancers.

I work in a shop and in the last 2 weeks I have spoke to 2 customers who worked in the nursing profession. One a sister and one a theatre nurse. One has took early retirement and one left to be a prison officer. Both have said that the NHS. is on its lest legs and it is no longer safe and they did not become nurses to work in those conditions. Jeremy hunt has a lot to answer for. Don’t even get me started about the way my partner died and in hospital too.. I actually wrote to him and he is waste of space! [email protected]

I like most other people who have posted I had a cancer diagnosis (breast) in 2010 from receiving the news on 11th May I had surgery various scans and tests and started 6 months of chemo on 21st June followed by 4 weeks radiotherapy I was overwhelmed at the speed and exceptional care I received from the NHS and hate the thought that someone else would be deprived I have tried to do my bit in raising £11,500 for cancer research which is a drop in the ocean compared to the overall cost of treatment one injection after chemo had a price tag of £600 I had 6 of those alone it makes me angry when I see money being wasted on sculptures etc and ridiculous expenses claims by MPs when it could be used to provide others with the level of care I have and still receive

There is no doubt that the NHS needs more money, but this support should follow a comprehensive review of the areas where the money is most needed. It should not go to salary increases, doctors contracts etc., as happened in the Blair years.

The best way to get Corbin as our next prime minister is to carry on screwing our NHS.

In the autumn of 2011 I was diagnosed with bowel cancer
I benefitted from a very early diagnosis, prompt surgery and follow up chemotherapy
I am now a 76 years old well and fit lady, caring for my 81 year husband with dementia and multiple health problems. This is 24/7 and I am able to do this successfully due to the prompt treatment I received in 2011

Having had treatment for breast cancer in the 2016. I was so grateful to the surgeons ,my oncologist ,radiographers and the terrific nursing staff.
There was times when my treatment had to be slowed down because of my reaction to the chemo This often meant that nurses stayed back when their shift was finished to stay with me. All of this was greatly appreciated. Once when I became very ill the response from the oncology team was absolutely outstanding. All of this was done with kindness and care by a stretched NHS team.
We need to find some way of injecting more money into our NHS to recruit and keep staff. To also speed up the time between diagnosis and treatment because time does matter . This diseases in all its forms is a threat to everyone and so we have to make our elected MP’s and MSP’s take notice of what needs to be done.

Having survived cancer twice (Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2004 and endometrial adenocarcinoma in 2013), I am very concerned that, once cancer is diagnosed, treatment should commence ASAP. When discussing the start of my R-CHOP chemotherapy with the oncologist, I explained that I wanted to avoid feeling unwell over the approaching Christmas period, as my grown up daughters would be home . I remember clearly being told by the oncologist that waiting a couple of days wouldn’t make much difference, but waiting two weeks would. Cancer patients can not afford to have vital treatment delayed.

Having had cancer myself and lost a daughter and my wife to the big C I find it inexcusable to even consider reducing our efforts to deal with the dreadful disease. We are a rich nation and this appalling government can only think of austerity. I fear that without a change we will end up mirroring the ghastly health service of Trumpland

It’s so heartbreking the nhs is suffering due to lack of funding something has to b e done asap

THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE IS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY,
AND I, AS A PENSIONER WOULD GLADLY CONTRIBUTE TO MAINTAIN THIS, THE BEST SERVICE IN THE WORLD. INVEST IN THE NHS NOW AT THE EXPENSE OF ALL OTHER. THE STAFF ARE 100% COMMITED, BACK THEM financial 100% now!!!

Destroy the cigarette industry, crippling taxes on alcohol, Huge taxes on sugar, high incentives on healthy diet and exercise. Some practices have health activity units tacked on to surgeries. This is the only way to prvent cancer. More effective than treating it.

We need a complete rethink on Government spending in this country. Too much of our taxes are spent on Investment to benefit middle and upper income people, especially in London and the Home Counties. We also have this attitude that “current” spending is evil. This means all our public services are stretched through under staffing. Even her we have the wrong priorities. Surely its absolutely wrong to spend more per criminal on Prisoners (£31k average) than NICE will spend on drugs for Cancer and other common chronic diseases.
As an aside, can the Medical community and the general Media (especially BBC) stop these “good news for cancer sufferers” headlines, as they always end up being about a specific form of cancer – usually breast, cervical or prostate. Never blood related cancers.

I would like to see the government increase income tax for those of us who can afford it and ring fence the proceeds for the NHS. People moan about the NHS but when you ask them if they would pay more tax, they are horrified. I don’t understand where they expect the money to come from. I certainly would not like to see a reduction in foreign NHS staff:some of our most gifted doctors and nurses are foreign and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

I personally, would like to see money spent on an injection to give all pregnant women to prevent their babies from developing cancer at any time during their lives. Cancer could be wiped out within two generations in this country. There will never be enough money for cure, but there would never be the need for cure if it were to be prevented by the means that I’ve suggested or by some other way. It has to start with the unborn child. Stop the need for cancer cures by work on preventing it before birth, it’s the only long term solution. (I assume that this does not constitute medical advice, it is simply my opinion.)

people from other countries should not be using our NHS, which we have paid into for quite a number of years, also i think that managers are on far too much money, and bonuses, even when they retire they are allowed to step back into the same job, on the same money. NOT ON!

This is shocking news and as a cancer survivor I can’t believe this is happening… we have too many people not contributing to the NHS as don’t work unlike myself and too many foreigners are draining our NHS. Time to sort this out.

I had bladder cancer and it was found and treated promptly and professionally by the NHS. Still having checks obvioulsy and my last one was done, via NHS, through a private hospital. That treatment was the worst I have received. It was more ‘examine as many as possible in as shorter time as possible to get more money’. The check was painful, no care nor chance to consult. Being told ‘your prostate is rather large’ but then not being told what to do next is not caring and quite scary. Give the NHS more, leave the private sector out of it. Forget the politics, have a ‘joint party plan’ so the politicians can stop sniping at each other and trying to get cheap political points. We need action from ALL parties and a joint committee.

I really think that medication and treatments are going backwards. Due to the attitude of this government. The people of this country should take one of two actions. Firstly to force the government to sit and pay attention to what good that has already been done and that under surveys the people will not stand for any more cuts. Or that the people of this country make a contribution each year solely for the N.H.S. and towards cancer research.
I very much doubt that any of the two will happen. Unless someone with the attitude geared towards managing the idea.

I am shocked to read that there is a intention to delay such important treatment. Having gone through treatment treatment just over 8 years ago, I wanted to have the treatment as soon as possible, there was a psychological impact in that I felt I had a better chance of the treatment being successful, and it has succeeded thankfully. I received excellent treatment from diagnoses to date. I do not think terminally ill patients should potentially have their lives shortened by having their treatment cut, unless the patient themself requests the treatment stop. I do feel their is a need for a overhaul of NHS with streamlining some administrative aspects such as contacting patients to give their availability for appointments and then having them still wait for an appointment, this could and should be completed on one contact, small matter but could save costs.

Cancer patients shouldn’t be harmed by NHS staff shortages! Exactly!!
Only this week BBC news aired an MP asking for NHS funding for people trying to stop smoking ‘because they’ve tried so many times and it’s very difficult for them’………
I sincerely hope that the Government would not consider funding this bill ahead of cancer patients? I have personally seen how understaffed and overworked our local Cancer unit is, it should not matter where you live, treatment should be available to all giving the best possible outcome!

I think its time that all political parties decide to put away the constant bickering about what they would do and for once work together to sort out the problems the NHS are experiencing. We all benefit so work together and not try to score points against each other

I am lucky, I have survived cancer thus far, but the treatment I received when in Northwick Park Hospital was appalling. The staff including the surgeon couldn’t have been nicer or more helpful, the standard of care was absolutely abysmal and made the whole experience so much worse. I absolutely agree the government must rethink their attitude to the NHS.

I have had bladder and skin cancer and I am fully aware of the importance of prompt remedial action.The government needs to ensure sufficient funds are allocated in this area.

This is disgraceful, we do realise the NHS is struggling of course and NEEDS the funding!
Fortunately for themselves, those who make these decisions can afford to pay for treatment privately for themselves and their loved ones! Not the average person.

The government waste a lot of money the N H S is a wonderful system.more staff needed better wages there should be no discussion regarding health. The government should realise this.

It was reported on the BBC this week (Midlands Today) that the Queen Elisabeth (QE) Hospital cancelled cancer treatment in January.
The QE is a hospital which is a centre of excellence for Cancer Treatment!! If this is happening at the QE goodness knows what’s happening in the rest of the country!!!!

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy and I’m still enjoying life nearly 5 years on. I have nothing but praise for the Shooting Star team in Wrexham.
They and the treatments are the reason I’m able to post this comment.
Cancer does not allow you time to experiment with alternatives

If you delay chemotherapy in patients where the treatment has been shown to destroy the cells and prolong life, you may as well forget using it altogether. Think of the money you’d save! No more ongoing support for long term survivors because there won’t be any. OR and this is a biggie, research a safer less invasive alternative to the poison cocktail that chemo actually is and it might be a cheaper option which requires fewer well trained staff and no hospital stays. The key as always is where you choose to put your money.

This is a terrible situation and should be dealt with immediately…!!

Chemotherapy – the word itself makes people think of bad things.
So you loose your hair – big deal
So you feel really unwell – that’s a deal
You see a light at the end if the tunnel because of it – now that is a really big deal
Many of us cancer survivors are here because of it – that is the real deal
When they trialed drugs and chemo on us in 1973 it was to benefit the patients of the future and to me I can see that it has helped enormously.
I’m really proud of the fact that I helped make survival a reality.
The simple fact is that you need chemotherapy to go hand in hand with the rest of your treatment to make it work
Why have a treatment that can implement a possible cure stopped or capped?
Everyone should be given a shot at getting well and living life to the full.

Chemotherapy should end, it’s invasive and does more harm than good, I should know, been there! This time ( my third battle with cancer) I am going it alone, healthy eating and healthy lifestyle, and getting positive results, never felt so fit and healthy! STOP the chemotherapy!

I thought I was contributing to a worthy research charity – not a political movement. I shall be cancelling my monthly subscription immediately.

Totally agree, government need to act quick, if they were in need of chemotherapy they would need the staff, so does everyone else.couldntthank them enough through mine.

I found I had breast cancer last April had my breast removed told the lump had been removed them had chemotherapy only 2 courses but on injections every 3 weeks and drip every 6 months to stop bone cancer from day one the doctors and staff have been marvellous at both hospitals I attend even those very busy

This situation is embarrassing and extremely worrying. Time to take the Great out of Great Britain because we are not great anymore

Whilst under going my own treatment at Addenbrokes Hospital for cancer and being the kind of individual who always asks questions? I asked just how much my Foxlow Platinum chemo per bag costs. I was given a figure of some £1600.00, plus all the other items of the process and nursing staff wages, made each treatment sevetal thousands of pounds. The staff that I discussed this with said that the then Tory government at the time, 2013 were already working upon the Darwinian doctrine adopted by the Third Reich, by holding discussions about implimentimg a programme of assessment based upon a life worthy of life policy, the primer reasons were solely for the economic points system of return and social worth that each cancer sufferer scores. I know that there are many areas within British society that becoming highly toxic due to this present government and run counter to the ethics that drove Britain into WW-2. I do not wish this nation to become engage in another civil war, for the NHS has enough work on its plate, without further casualties as a result of weak and corupt leadership, who through having to clutch at straws totally lack any civilised alternatives to remandy the many problems facing Britain is is now fast turning this adminastration into becoming a parallel to the monsters of the twentieth century and all because of the love of money, has now devalued human life. This government my rue the day that I survived cancer and you may live to hate me, if my involvement generates an even higher burden upon what is one of the great pillars of our society and that is the NHS. If you wish to discuss this in private then please feel free to do so.

I have just been diagnosed with breast cancer and to see our nurses and doctors working so hard is quite worrying I am having a mastectomy next week and hopefully everything will be ok but when you here things about our N H S it gets quite worrying more needs to be done so that we are close to achieving a better chance of long term survival without having to tackle workforce shortages because this will not go away without taking action and we have to ask the government to do more to save our N H S from disappearing altogether

As a patient diagnosed with breast cancer in Dec 2017 I have had very prompt treatment and the nurses and consultant are amazing.. however they are always rushed off there feet and running around trying to deal with all the patients but always with a smile not an easy job .. so no more cut backs .. it’s shameful!!!!

At 37 I was diagnosed with 2 types of breast cancer, my treatment plan was very invasive as I needed both chemotherapy & surgery to have a double mastectomy meaning I was back & forth to both hospital sites, the LRI for my chemo & The breast care unit at the Glenfield hospital for the surgery side. Having sat back & watched how the staff work & witnessing the ratio of staff to patient in the chemo-suite was heartbreaking, on one occasion 59 patients to 5 nurses! Yet no matter how under pressure the nurses were they always had time for each patient. It’s ok the management who sit in their comfy offices making these cuts but would they have the same opinion if they were to spend a day in the shoes of those doctors & nurses who treat us cancer patients to save our lives?!?!

It is time people stopped bleating about wanting more money and staff. Its the Management of these moaning hospitals that require a kick up the backside.

Pay the people well, make sure they feel valued
Train staff like they use too!! So they can do their job properly. Care should be holistic.
Bring back the important issues.

The NHS should be restructured and should stop wasting money on layers of managers and other obvious money wasting propaganda. The successive governments are incapable of understanding or changing anything to improve it and it’s about time they realised this. There is a very successful and inexpensive private hospital in Cyprus called the Apolonion and is run like no other and and if The NHS can copy them they will not need more money. The money they would save if it is restructured they will be able to pay nursing staff a salary they can afford to live on instead of making live on the breadline. This should also put a stop to high agency fees.

The NHS in England should be funded more like Scotland with the Government putting in more resources. Cancer Research should be better funded by the Government rather than charitable donations.

This is awful I lost two sisters to breast cancer , they did get the right help though .The trouble is the drug companies charge to much for drugs the government keep cutting everything .
They charge nurses to do there training , so that has made a shortage , & all they talk about is Brexit while all the other things go to pieces .

Yes, more money is needed for the NHS, but there will never be enough; it’s a bottomless pit. Sadly, the system is abused by time wasters, Friday night drunks who should be made to pay for the full cost of their treatment if their injuries are clearly a result, or an indirect result, of drug or alcohol abuse.

I understand this. But it isn’t totally down to shortages. But m wife Mrs Susan Lesley Szymkowiak left us 03-07-16 from secondary breast caner in her liver. She was extrr poorly April 2014 when her own GPs told her she only had a virus. On taking her back to the Gpsr each week they still never did the correct blood tests. She wr taken to our local A & E where they promptly did t blood test and telling us about her liver. Her Gps continued to make a catalog of errors where she didn’t receive her first chemotherapy till October 2014 by which time this was much to late. The rest is history. But not to myse and children. You really nr GPs to act properly. Knowing they could have prevented the cancer from returning had they acted sooner the cancer wouldn’t have been able to spread so far. Thus she would still be alive today. But no one knows how long for. They never even apologized to her nor ourselves. So our children continue to live a complete nightmare. Hospital staff throughout our time there. Were an honour to the profession. Mr Colin Szymkowiak.

The NHS needs funding and is not for sale as the government intends it to be.

Both my wife and myself have had excellent and successful hospital treatment for cancer. In all my experience of the NHS I can not speak high enough but it appears their may be problems in some parts.
and the Government must be urged to give absolute priority to all urgent health cases. I feel the Government is so pre occupied with Britex ( I voted against it). that some of the other urgent matters are not getting the urgent attention they should. Incidentally my wife & I were at a Hospital yesterday ( excellent service ) and a senior nurse told us they have to pay £500 a year for car parking and have to arrive early to be sure of a space. Keep up the good work.

if you are terminally ill, then i understand the fact that the NHS has to make choices. those who can be treated successfully with a quality of life like myself should be treated regardless of cost

The NHS is over trading and under capitalised and badly managed, so to correct this situation you manage it better and either put more money into it or review what the NHS should be offering the people. As an example of the poor service the NHS gives I was referred to a consultant in Jan. 2016 by my Docotor re. my hip which needed replacement 22 months later I saw a consultant !!! Why don’t the NHS deal with the medical problems it can cope with i.e. Cancer. Heart and other life threatening problems and not offer to be everything to everybody which cannot be afforded.

The NHS used to be the envy of the world, Now it is on the verge of collapse. Our Prime Minister tells us how much extra money has been allocated to the NHS, but she does not tell us how far that amount falls short of what is needed. This is not a political point. All parties have been guilty of under funding this service for decades. Prime Minister (and the rest of Parliament), get a grip of get out.

My Wife recently passed away with cancer the satffhelped all they could but listening to their stories of hours they were working then being sent on waste of time courses it makes
one get really upset at their work load and talking to some of the nurses they agree the old system of experience and not degrees was best There are to many oen oushers at the top being paid high salaries while nurses are low paid and even have to pay there own car park out there wages until they have worked at the hospital for so many months and that is when they are on a low wage It was a pleasure to meet them and see their dedication

Bring back nurse training in hospital from the start.

The N.H.S. Is very special and I am sure most people would be willing to pay more tax to keep it going. Also, nursing would be much more attractive to a lot of people if they didn’t need a degree. There was a lot to be said for the old way when you began as a student nurse and worked your way up the ladder.

Bring Student nurses back on to the wards. the atmosphere in uni is not like working on the wards.also are qualified nurse really needed in outpatients acerk would be sufficient

As a former cancer patient, who was assessed, diagnosed and underwent an operation, within 96-hours, prior to several rounds of chemotherapy, I find the proposals unbelievable!

Had the, proposed, restrictions been in place, c. 16 years ago, I doubt that I would be here today, to offload and vent my disbelief and anger!

I’d wager a, considerable, stake that the ‘pen-pushers’ behind this ridiculous proposal have never had a member of their family or, indeed, a close friend, had to undergo these wholly uncomfortable, painful and intrusive procedures!

I fully support our Doctors, Nurses and all NHS staff and we should recruit new Nurses paying them what they deserve for the very difficult job they all do. We must support them and show the rest of the world especially the USA that the NHS we have is special and the best.

The NHS is for those that have contributed to the system. Not those who just come to this Country for healthcare, because believe me I worked in the NHS for many years and there are many patients who come here for free HNS care. This is wrong.
Make sure those that should have the care and are eligible to it, get it.

This is a disgusting state of affairs,it is totally wrong.These Cancer patients need all the care they can get and are entitled to.Some one must sort this mess out and quick.

This is a disgrace for one of the richest countries in the world. We need to look at funding the NHS properly. We all need the NHS at some point and i for one would be willing to pay more in tax if it was specifically for NHS. I don’t understand why the government don’t put this to the people and let us decide. If we want better health care then we need to pay more for it.

Having been diagnosed with stage 3 non Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2004 and undergoing 8 months of chemotherapy I really appreciate the work the nhs put into our country and support it fully

Everyone is willing to support the NHS in any way they can most are happy to pay to keep this fantastic organisation. It seems to me that the government does not want to listen. Afraid of losing votes when the opposite is the case a well funded NHS will attract voters!!

With a nown prostate cancer link in the family, my half brother at the start of November, dad had prostate and bladder, now I have it in both my prostate and the limp nodes on both sides but still have to wait for at least 6weeks before surgery, then I can treet my skin cancer on my face and head. So yes we know that it’s not improving.

We must always support the NHS.It is the most amazing part of all our lives.The dedication of the doctors,nurses and everyone involved is second to none.

The shortages of staff and lack of funding in general to the health service is a disgrace and the PM should hold her head in shame.

Everybody I speak with would pay at least £10 per month to help protect our NHS. It is more important to us than BREXIT!