PRESS RELEASE - A Cancer Workforce in Crisis
A new Cancer Workforce Fund to address the challenge
London, 4 April 2024 – The shortage of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, pathologists, and other professionals involved in cancer care is placing immense strain on the UK healthcare system and patient care.
Across the country and across Europe it has become an accelerating downward spiral. Cancer care professionals are struggling to cope. More and more of them report burnout, forcing them to leave their professions. Those who remain are given more responsibilities, larger caseloads, and ever-taller stacks of paperwork, resulting in even less time with patients. Mistakes under these conditions are inevitable, and care is being compromised.
In the UK, where cancer is the leading cause of death, there is a vacancy rate of 10-12% for pathologists (1), and a 15% shortage of clinical oncologists, a number which is projected to reach 25% within the next 3 years. This comes with massive inequalities within the UK, as there are ten times fewer oncologists in North and West Wales than in London, for instance. Half of all consultant clinical oncologists are burned out as a result. This is costing patient lives, as every second UK cancer centre experiences ongoing delays in cancer treatment (2).
From bad to worse:
The World Health Organization reported that more than 40% of physicians in Europe will be retiring within the next 5 years, and that report was before Covid-19. The unprecedented disruptions caused by the pandemic put new, unimaginable strains on an already fragile cancer workforce – strains that continue to grow throughout Europe.
This must stop. It's time to accelerate action on Europe’s cancer workforce crisis!
While governments need to address the crisis urgently and aggressively, grass-roots projects can identify meaningful solutions to the crisis. The European Cancer Community Foundation is committed to supporting these initiatives through the Cancer Workforce Fund. This new effort will explore new processes, apply innovation, and help improve working conditions of those on the frontline of cancer care.
The Cancer Workforce Fund will be officially launched today at 18:00 BST at the Mansion House, hosted by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Michael Mainelli, and featuring experts in cancer care and the commercial world from the UK and Europe.
- Andreas Charalambous, Founder and Chair, European Cancer Community Foundation, Immediate Past-President, European Cancer Organisation and Founder, and Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology;
- Kathy Oliver, Patient Advisory Committee Co-Chair, European Cancer Organisation (ECO) and Co-Director, International Brain Tumour Alliance (IBTA);
- Ajay Aggarwal, Consultant Clinical Oncologist, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Trust, Professor Cancer Services and Systems Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Board Member – European Cancer Organisation;
- Mark Lawler, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor of Digital Health, and Chair in Translational Cancer Genomics, Queen's University Belfast (QUB) and Chair of the International Cancer Benchmarking Partnership;
- Nicolò Matteo Luca Battisti, Consultant Medical Oncologist, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Co-Chair and President, International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) and Co-Chair of the Inequalities Network, European Cancer Organisation;
- Ann Slee, Former Associate Chief Clinical Information Officer (medicines) NHS England, Senior Advisor to Digital Health and Care Wales;
- Candice Blackwood, Partner Co-Head Life Sciences & Healthcare, CMS Cameron McKenna Nabarro Olswang; and
- Ed O’Brien, Senior Director, EMEA Healthcare, BNP Paribas Real Estate.
‘This event presents an exciting new initiative. The Cancer Workforce Fund will contribute to tackle a major challenge such as the cancer workforce crisis across the UK and Europe, and it is an honour to have the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Michael Mainelli on our side,’ said Andreas Charalambous, Founder and Chair, European Cancer Community Foundation.
‘My mayoral theme, Connect to Prosper, seeks to harness the power of the positive connections that are made in the City of London every day, leveraging the Square Mile’s expertise and talent to help solve global problems. There are few issues more pressing than the current cancer workforce crisis,’ added Lord Mayor of the City of London, Michael Mainelli.
The event will also serve as the launch of ECO’s new European Cancer Pulse for the UK. The report highlights that on average, the UK has more cases of cancer than the EU but fewer cancer professionals to tackle it. Full data will be accessible upon the release of the report.
The launch event for the Cancer Workforce Fund is open to journalists. To attend the event or arrange a phone interview with ECO representatives prior to the event, please contact:
Alvaro Jimber
Communications Officer
European Cancer Organisation
alvaro.jimber@europeancancer.org
Office telephone: +32 2 775 0200
Mobile phone: +32 465 64 25 73
1) data from the Royal College of Pathologists
2) data from the Royal College of Radiologists
To editors:
About the European Cancer Community Foundation
The European Cancer Community Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation created by the European Cancer Organisation (ECO) in March 2023 to benefit from its extensive relationships across the full spectrum of cancer care. The Foundation is dedicated to saving lives and improving the well-being of those touched by cancer.
