UKLCC launches national report
into lung cancer services

The NHS is still failing lung cancer patients,
according to the results of the first national review
of lung cancer services, published by the UK Lung
Cancer Coalition at the beginning of November
2009. Despite headway in UK lung cancer
prevention, disease awareness and
screening, the UKLCC believes that key areas such
as diagnosis, treatment rates and access to
specialists are still woefully inadequate....

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National Lung Cancer Audit

Shocking differences in lung cancer
care across England, Scotland and
Wales were revealed in the National
Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA) published
on 30th April 2009. The report showed
only half (51%) of patients receive
any kind of active treatment, less
than 10% have surgery, and many
do not currently have access to a
specialist nurse.

As well as executing a national media
campaign to coincide with publication,
the UKLCC has written to poorly-
performing hospital trusts urging
them to review their lung cancer
services. It is also working with parliamentarians, the health minister and national cancer director to raise awareness of the importance of data collection to improve standards of care and help save lives.  For more information on the NLCA, click here and to access the report visit: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/services/national-clinical-audit-support-programme-ncasp/audit-reports/lung-cancer

What is the UK Lung Cancer Coalition?

The United Kingdom Lung Cancer Coalition (UKLCC) is a partnership of charities, clinicians, senior NHS professionals and healthcare companies with a commitment to double lung cancer survival. It is the nation’s only multi-interest group in lung cancer. The UKLCC is primarily a campaigning organisation. Information and support for people affected by lung cancer can be found separately by contacting the following charity members of the UKLCC, whose details are available on this website: British Lung Foundation, Cancer Black Care, Cancer Research UK, Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation and Tenovus.

Our challenge

Lung cancer is the country’s biggest cancer killer.  In the UK, someone dies from lung cancer every 15 minutes.  Despite some recent improvements in service provision, there are still wide variations in standards across the country, including diagnosis, treatment and care for lung cancer patients.

The UKLCC believes that more can be done to reduce the terrible death toll caused by lung cancer.  Our vision is to meet an ambitious “survival challenge”:

To double one year lung cancer survival by 2015 and five year survival by 2020*

* based on survival rate figures from 1996-99.

Our plan of action

In 2007, the UKLCC developed a 12 point plan – calls for action which we believe if prioritised and acted upon would make a real difference for lung cancer patients.

Bringing standards of care across the NHS up to those in the best centres would, we believe, save many thousands of lives. We are keen to work with the NHS and Government, patients and carers, industry and voluntary sector to make sure this happens.

Download the Lung Cancer Plan

The UKLCC 2008 Annual Review

2008 was a full and busy year for the UKLCC. We sponsored a session called ‘Is your MDT fit for purpose?’ at the International Lung Cancer Conference and organized a highly attended and award-winning Nurse Fly-in event at Westminster to raise awareness of the shortages and variations in specialist lung cancer nurses. Consequently, an Early Day Motion was signed by 80 MPs. Again, we wrote to hospitals in 2008 to urge them to submit data into the National Lung Cancer Audit, which received very positive responses; and we held a meeting with the Royal College of Surgeons and Society for Cardiothoracic Surgery, culminating in an agreement to draft a joint position statement on best practice.

Download the report on The UKLCC 2008 Annual Review

Helping to improve lung cancer commissioning

The UK Lung Cancer Coalition has launched a toolkit to help lung cancer clinicians make a constructive and effective contribution to the commissioning process for lung cancer services.

We believe in putting clinicians at the heart of lung cancer commissioning. Getting the commissioning of lung cancer services right will help to reduce the postcode lottery in access to diagnostic and pathology services, treatment and specialist nursing.  With experts clinicians more involved with cancer commissioning, we can make a real difference towards achieving our goal of doubling lung cancer survival.

Click here to download a free toolkit, tailored for your cancer network containing   Anglia Cancer Network Arden Cancer Network Avon, Somerset & Wiltshire Cancer Network Central South Coast Cancer Network Derby/Burton Cancer Network Dorset Cancer Network Greater Manchester & Cheshire Cancer Network Greater Midlands Cancer Network Humber & Yorkshire Coast Cancer Network Kent Cancer Network Lancashire & South Cumbria Cancer Network Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland Cancer Network Merseyside & Cheshire Cancer Network Mount Vernon Cancer Network North East London Cancer Network North London Cancer Network North Trent Cancer Network North of England Cancer Network Pan Birmingham Cancer Network Peninsula Cancer Network South East London Cancer Network South Essex Cancer Network South West London Cancer Network Surrey, Sussex & Hampshire Cancer Network Sussex Cancer Network Teeside, South Durham and North Yorkshire Cancer Network Thames Valley Cancer Network Three Counties Cancer Network West London Cancer Network Yorkshire Cancer Network

• Statistics about lung cancer services and outcomes in your area
• Contacts for your local lung cancer commissioners
• Suggestions for how to approach your commissioners and advice on making your case

If you have any queries or would like to discuss this with Health Mandate who produced the toolkit, you can contact Hannah Cornick on 0203 128114.

Download a free
toolkit, tailored for
your cancer network

The latest National Lung Cancer Audit published on 2nd December 2009 shows that only half (51%) of lung cancer patients are currently seen by a lung cancer specialist nurse…

The UKLCC and the National Lung Cancer Forum for Nurses (NLCFN) are celebrating following the 2009 Communiqué awards...

Every November, UKLCC members support Lung Cancer Awareness Month, raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of lung cancer and encouraging people not to delay visiting their GP. 

UKLCC session at The International Lung Cancer Conference

On Thursday 10th July 2008 the UKLCC sponsored a session at the International Lung Cancer Conference. This meeting aimed to review the current status and impact of MDT working in lung cancer care in the UK.

Lung cancer can be cured

Half of all people in the UK know someone that has died or been affected by lung cancer