Doctors join cancer switch battle

Doctors want services within reach of local people

Senior doctors at the Royal Cornwall Hospital have opposed plans to move some cancer services to Plymouth.

The hospital's chairman Peter Davies resigned last week in protest at plans to move some abdominal cancer care to Derriford Hospital.

The Royal Cornwall Hospital's medical staff committee said it was "vital" these services were kept in the county. Cornwall Primary Care Trust (PCT) claims the move could increase the life expectancy of patients.

Survival 'higher'

The committee said it was "dismayed" by the resignation of Mr Davies, who refused to endorse the transfer of upper gastro-intestinal (GI) cancer surgery and complex gynaecological cancer services to Plymouth.

Royal Cornwall Hospital doctors have written to the chairman and vice-chairman of the Cornwall County Council committee responsible for overseeing the work of the NHS, which is due to meet on Wednesday.

Their letter said the area should keep three main district hospitals, at Truro, Plymouth and Exeter, to keep services within reach of local people.

"We wish to express both our dismay at the resignation of our Chairman Peter Davies and our total support of his actions in defending the services we offer to the population of Cornwall.

"It is vital for the local health community that upper GI cancers along with other vital services are retained in Cornwall for the good of the population." The PCT said survival rates were higher when services were centralised and there were other specialists around when treatments were done in bigger centres.

In a statement, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust said Derriford Hospital had the infrastructure to offer patients excellent care, with extremely well qualified surgeons, cardiothoracic anaesthetists and supporting teams of nursing and therapeutic staff and a high dependency unit for cardiac patients all in one place.

Mr James Palmer, medical director and consultant neurosurgeon, said that was only a small part of the overall care package patients receive as staff in Plymouth work with other clinicians across the Peninsula.

"In most cases patients only have to travel for surgery," he said.

"Other care such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy will be provided much more locally, by doctors and medical staff at hospitals and GP surgeries closer to their home, whether that is in the south of Cornwall or the north of Devon."

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