Physiotherapy’s role in cancer care has been formally recognised by government.
This week, health minister Ashley Dalton confirmed that the forthcoming national cancer plan will include both prehabilitation and rehabilitation.
The plan, due to be published this year, will set the UK government’s direction for cancer care over the next decade, focusing on earlier diagnosis, patient empowerment and innovative treatments. Rehab is now confirmed as a core component.
Cancer prehab reduces complications, shortens recovery time, and improves quality of life, while rehab has been shown to lengthen life expectancy.
Earlier this year, the CSP and the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Oncology and Palliative Care submitted a response to a government consultation, calling for rehabilitation to be embedded throughout the cancer pathway, from prevention to palliative care.
The response also highlighted priorities of prevention, improved patient experience, and tackling inequalities, supported by strategic commissioning, integrated leadership and workforce development.
Sara Hazzard, assistant director at the CSP and co-chair of the Community Rehab Alliance, said: ‘It’s encouraging to read that the DHSC have understood that rehab and prehab are critical for inclusion in the national cancer plan.
Embedding rehab expertise within neighbourhood services is crucial both for reducing cancer risks in people with multiple health conditions and for delivering early, proactive support to all who are diagnosed with cancer.
Meanwhile in Scotland, the Scottish Government has published results from a survey about cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation services. Scotland’s Cancer Prehabilitation Oversight Group (SCPOG) commissioned the survey to understand, from staff perspectives, what is needed to implement cancer prehabilitation nationwide.
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