I’VE HAD a bad patch recently, with computer problems and a painful new tumour.

Thankfully, the excellent local radiotherapy team did a great job and successfully zapped it.

I now have problems with walking, due to the disease in my spine and pelvis.

This challenges me somewhat as I thought I was coping well.

It reminds me just how tough life can be for those who are disabled and stuck at home, which I had not fully appreciated before.

Although I have been involved with the Eynsham Good Neighbour Network, such groups will be needed even more across the country, due to increasing cutbacks in social care.

My family and friends from church have looked after me well, with regular visits, homemade meals, and most importantly their prayers, for which I am grateful.

A lot is happening in the world of cancer as political parties compete for our votes at the next General Election.

Survival of the NHS will be the leading issue for most families.

I do hope we do not succumb to an American type healthcare model, as cancer patients would be abandoned. Cancer will now affect one in two of us during our lives, and with more than 200 cancer types this will represent an impressive number of potential voters.

Despite some progress seen with new cancer treatments, these are not always freely available to patients, despite all the taxes we have paid, and yet the Government keeps banging on about our NHS being free at point of need.

The social care budget continues to be slashed by local authorities, thus placing even more pressure on hospitals.

Lack of Promised Access to Treatment (1)

Various promises have been made, but many are already failing to materialise.

I have been campaigning for a few years now for Gamma Knife treatment to become readily available to treat cancer in the brain – as it works.

I sit on the relevant NHS Clinical Reference Group as a voluntary patient as my way of giving something back, as this treatment has given me an extra four years of life.

This treatment still appears not to be readily available, as I have read that many cancer patients are allegedly being left untreated while expensive kit sits unused in hospitals.

I am still out of pocket some £30k after having to pay for this treatment twice, as the former Oxfordshire PCT said there was little evidence to support it.

Yet it costs much the same as open brain surgery due to reduced hospital stays and reduced risk.

I received a letter from the Department of Health, via the PM, confirming that “from April 2013, they will be able to guarantee access to innovative radiotherapy where clinically appropriate. This includes Stereotactic radiosurgery (Gamma Knife) that Mr Stone has undergone”.

Patients are again left untreated while yet another lengthy new consultation is completed. Sadly, cancer waits for no one and many feel unable to place our trust in the hands of these senior DoH/NHS people, who seem to have little accountability.

Lack of Promised Access to Treatment (2)

Last time I mentioned that we were very concerned about the potential loss of a number of drugs from the Cancer Drugs Fund reorganisation.

Speaking from my own perspective it appears that my next drug may now be available from NICE anyway, as it has turned out that it is not one of the drugs affected by these changes. This came as a great relief, if I can only rely on it. High on our agenda is the disappointing U-turn and backward step by senior NHS managers who intend to withdraw at least 25 cancer drugs due to cost, with perhaps yet more threatened to be withdrawn.

From tomorrow some 8,000 cancer patients a year will be condemned to an early death, as they will be denied drugs which were previously available under the Cancer Drugs Fund introduced by David Cameron.

This has already extended the lives of more than 6,000 cancer patients, whereas my pleas to various senior ministers of the previous government met with a complete lack of interest, merely saying they were sorry to hear I had cancer.

While we thank our PM for his life-extending initiative there is still more to be done.

So I am supporting a campaign asking for these cuts to be halted, asking the PM to intervene, and reminding him of his promise to cancer patients made at the last election https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/keepyourpromise 

At the last election, Mr Cameron pledged “if your doctor thinks that you should have a cancer drug that will help you to live a longer and better life you should get that drug”.

I am still concerned to hear about the amount of NHS waste, and to read a report of alleged expensive overseas trips made by managers simply to recruit a few nurses.