OnTheWight is partaking in the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme. This article is the second to be published and is an update to the first, Some Isle of Wight cancer patients could be sent to Oxford for radiotherapy. Ed
Cancer patients will not have to travel from the Isle of Wight to Oxford for radiotherapy treatment, NHS England has confirmed.
In a report to go before the IW Council’s policy and scrutiny committee for adult social care and health on Monday, the authority expressed concerns over national plans to modernise radiotherapy services, which could create a network at Oxford for radiotherapy patients in Hampshire, the IW and Dorset.
The IW Council feared this would result in some Island cancer patients being forced to travel to Oxford for treatment.
IW patients will not have to travel to Oxford
However, an NHS England spokesperson today (Thursday) said this would not be the case.
A statement said:
“The proposals NHS England consulted on will not mean patients from the IW will have to travel to Oxford instead of Southampton.
“However, they will enable staff in the two hospitals to work together more closely and share their expertise on how to best to treat and support patients, particularly those with rarer cancers.”
The new radiotherapy network hopes to achieve improved clinical outcomes for cancer patients, increased access to innovative treatments delivered by experts in specialist areas, minimise adverse side effects of treatment and increase access to clinical trials.
Image: presidenciamx under CC BY 2.0
