Hounslow spends almost twice as much as neighbouring Ealing per patient
Cancer patients are being subject to a postcode lottery according to figures revealed this week.
Following analysis by Conservatives of official statistics showing the amount of money spent by different Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) on cancer treatment, Shadow Health Minister Mark Simmonds told The Daily Mail, "It's outrageous. The Government's own statistics have revealed a huge postcode lottery in funding for cancer."
Significant differences between neighbouring areas means that patients could get better treatment if they moved just a few streets away. Hounslow PCT spends £11,726 per patient per year however, neighbouring Ealing PCT spends £6,650 (little more than Oxfordshire which is bottom of the league table with £5,182 per cancer patient per year.)
According the article published in The Mail, health experts state that patients in lower spending areas could have up to 20 per cent less chance of beating cancer than those in high-spending places.
It is believed to be the first time official figures confirm fears there is a lottery in the amount spent on treating cancer patients.
November 27, 2007