Better and more timely support for the 1 in 2 people in Wales who will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetimes is a key priority for Plaid Cymru.
Through our new Cancer Plan for Wales, we will:
- Prioritise prevention. Up to 40% of cancers are preventable – we will support people to better understand and reduce their risk of cancer.
- Implement new measures to ensure more cancers are caught earlier, including enhanced and self-screening, and expanding innovative ‘ThinkCancer!’ training for GPs and practice nurses.
- Work to ensure equitable access to cancer services in all parts of Wales, including by bringing forward plans for a new Rapid Diagnosis Centre (RDC) in Powys – where patients currently must travel outside the region for specialist assessment because local diagnostic services are not available.
- Establish a fund to support patients who need to travel for specialist treatment for rare cancers with their transport and accommodation costs.
- Give patients greater ownership of and control over cancer treatment, through a new Optimal Cancer Pathway (OCP) framework for Wales – spelling out exactly what cancer patients can and should expect from each stage of their treatment.
- Ensure that cancer survivors are not permanently defined by their condition – including by legislating for a ‘Right to be forgotten’ to protect them from discrimination in the form of higher insurance premiums or difficulties accessing a mortgage.
- Strengthen legal rules around patient consent for brain tumour surgery and the storage of brain tumour tissue.
The nature of firefighters’ work means that they are more susceptible to particular kinds of cancer. We will work with fire and rescue services to ensure they are better protected from these occupational cancers – with improved health monitoring and enhanced decontamination procedures.