Cancer patients are being forced to bear the massive financial burden of changes in NHS treatment reveals a hard hitting new report launched today (19 July) by leading cancer care charity Macmillan Cancer Relief.
Macmillan's report, Free at the point of delivery? , reveals that cancer patients are spending hundreds of pounds on travel for their life-saving treatment. In fact in Macmillan's focus groups the average cost was £380. What's more, three in four hospitals are making money by charging patients for parking - and staff at only one hospital in five said they promoted a scheme that allows some cancer patients to claim this money back.
The side effects of cancer treatment mean patients often have to give up work, and may have to live on a low income; forcing many patients to make a choice between finding the money for travel to hospital and basic necessities such as food, children's clothes and household bills.
Travel is especially costly for cancer patients because the nature of the treatment requires them to make frequent hospital visits for, for example, diagnostic checks, surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, follow-up and palliative care - on average 60 trips from diagnosis to follow-up patients told Macmillan.
Other key findings include: