Gaeilge

Search gov.ie

Press release

Minister for Health publishes the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 Implementation Report 2023

  • 127 additional staff recruited to cancer services in 2023
  • new radiation oncology centre in Galway costing €70 million opened to patients in April 2023, providing new treatments and reducing waiting times
  • €9.89 million funding allocated to capital projects for cancer in 2023
  • €6.7 million funding allocated to cancer research in 2023
  • €7.5 million Shared Island funding announced in 2023 for Daisy Lodge therapeutic centre for families affected by cancer in County Mayo
  • €3 million funding announced in 2023 for the Alliance of Community Cancer Support Centres

Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has today published the National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 Implementation Report 2023. The Report sets out the progress achieved on the improvement of cancer control activities aimed at delivering better outcomes for patients, as set out in the 52 recommendations of the Strategy. The report measures the achievement of these recommendations against the key performance indicators, which focus on reducing preventable cancer, promoting early detection and driving improvements in treatment and after-care for cancer patients.

Minister Donnelly welcomed the publication of the report, saying:

“In 2023 we recruited 127 additional staff to our cancer services, which is a significant increase in staffing for cancer services in Ireland. We now have over 215,000 people living after receiving a cancer diagnosis. This is a 50% increase over a decade, further illustrating the success of our National Cancer Strategies. In 2023, I announced €3 million funding for the Alliance of Community Cancer Support Centres, which provides a range of support services for people living with cancer and their families in communities throughout Ireland.

“The benefit to patients from the record levels of investment in 2021 and 2022 also continues to be felt, with several initiatives implemented to target earlier access to better care throughout the cancer service. This government will continue to invest in our cancer services, to deliver year-on-year improvements and build on the progress made in 2023.”

In April 2023, the first patients began receiving treatments at the new radiation oncology centre in Galway, built as a result of €70 million capital funding. €9.89 million was provided as part of the 2023 HSE Capital Plan to support the provision of radiation oncology facilities in Cork, Galway and Dublin. The level of investment demonstrates this government’s commitment to the ongoing development of radiation oncology services, where sophisticated treatments such as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) are now being provided. Further capital projects for cancer services were continued under the Capital Plan for 2023. This included the equipment (linear accelerators) replacement programme for St Luke's Radiation Oncology Network, expansion of the oncology day unit at Cork University Hospital, and progression of the replacement of Aseptic Compounding Units (ACUs) at Cork University Hospital, Letterkenny University Hospital and Tallaght University Hospital.

In 2023, €7.5 million Shared Island funding was announced for the new Daisy Lodge therapeutic centre for children with cancer and their families in Cong, County Mayo. This centre will be run by the Cancer Fund for Children (CFFC), a charitable organisation which has strong links with paediatric cancer services across the island of Ireland. Together with the existing CFFC centre in Newcastle, County Down, the new Daisy Lodge will offer a range of services to families free of charge.

Bernard Gloster, CEO of the Health Service Executive (HSE), said:

“Cancer continues to be a key area of focus for the HSE, with measures taken to support timely access to cancer diagnosis and treatment. During 2023, the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme worked with a range of partners to support the implementation of the recommendations of the National Cancer Strategy. The support of rapid access clinics was central to maintaining timely diagnosis, tumour conferences and multi-disciplinary teams to ensure coordinated cancer treatment planning. The National Cancer Information System is a patient-centred, longitudinal, and accessible care record that is now live in 16 of 26 hospitals nationally. The population-based cancer screening programmes, which are overseen by the HSE’s National Screening Service, continue to have a key role in reducing morbidity and mortality related to cancer and there was a particular focus in 2023 on increasing the uptake of cancer screening.”

Prof. Risteárd Ó Laoide, National Director of the HSE’s National Cancer Control Programme, said:

“In 2023, we continued to implement improvements in cancer control in line with the National Cancer Strategy. 2023 saw a particular focus on skin cancer prevention, early diagnosis of cancer and improved pathways for hereditary cancer. New treatments were introduced, including Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) for the treatment of neuroendocrine cancer. We also continued to develop psycho-oncology services, cancer care for children, adolescents and young adults and a range of supports for people living with and after cancer. International research has highlighted the link between a consistent focus on the implementation of cancer policy and improved cancer outcomes. We remain focussed on continuing to implement the recommendations of the Cancer Strategy to improve cancer services in Ireland.”

Notes

National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026 Implementation Report 2023.

National Cancer Strategy 2017-2026.

Implementation of the National Cancer Strategy is a Programme for Government commitment and is part of the implementation of Sláintecare. Seven years into the Strategy, 40 of the 52 recommendations are considered implemented, while the remaining actions are being actively progressed by the National Cancer Control Programme with oversight from the Department of Health.

Funding for the National Cancer Strategy since 2017:

  • €75 million in funding across cancer treatment and screening has been allocated under the National Cancer Strategy
  • cumulative additional funding since 2017 has been over €300 million
  • cancer research funding since 2017 has been over €58 million
  • over €95 million has been spent on anti-smoking initiatives since 2017
  • funding for cancer drugs in the last three years has exceeded €600 million

Developments in 2023 include:

  • in 2023, over 54,000 people were seen in Rapid Access Clinics for suspected breast, lung, and prostate cancer. In 2023, there were more than 17,000 cancer surgeries performed, there were more than 130,000 chemotherapy delivery sessions, and more than 100,000 radiation oncology sessions
  • additional funding of €18 million for medicines in 2023 included funding for 17 cancer drugs
  • €17 million was spent in 2023 on anti-smoking initiatives which address smoking as the single biggest cause of cancer in Ireland, including on smoking cessation medications, the National Quitline, and the delivery of smoking cessation support programmes nationally
  • the Public Health (Tobacco Products and Nicotine Inhaling Products) Act 2023 was enacted on 13 December 2023. Section 28, prohibiting the sale of nicotine inhaling products to those aged under 18, came into effect on 22 December 2023
  • in May 2023, the Minister for Health signed legislation enabling warning labels of cancer risk on alcohol products, which will come into operation in 2026
  • in November 2023, the Minister for Health announced 2040 as Ireland’s target for the elimination of cervical cancer. Ireland has signed up to WHO targets for eliminating cervical cancer, which it is on track to achieving by the target dates
  • the second National Skin Cancer Prevention Plan 2023-2026 was launched in March 2023. Implementation has commenced with initiatives including: a baby sunhat in the Baby Bundle pilot run by the Department of Children Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY); a SunSmart art competition for primary school children; SunSmart content developed and included in Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) for second year students; a Toolbox Talk for outdoor workers on skin cancer prevention; training of GAA Cúl Camps coaches on skin cancer prevention; a sunscreen dispenser pilot among community/voluntary groups involved in outdoor leisure activities; and research on the economic cost of melanoma skin cancer published in 2023
  • the BowelScreen programme extended the eligibility age range downwards to those aged 59 in 2023 and continues to work towards expanding the eligibility age range to those aged 55-74. The programme is extending Ireland’s age range for bowel screening gradually, and in stages to make sure everyone continues to have access to onward testing and treatment, if it is found to be needed
  • a new model of care for psycho-oncology services for children, adolescents and young adults (CAYA) was published in May 2023, which highlights the specific needs of the CAYA cohort and provides a direction for how psycho-oncology supports should be included at all stages of the patient pathway
  • a new guideline for breast cancer treatment was published in June 2023, which included new recommendations to shorten treatment time for patients and to reduce the burden of radiotherapy treatment
  • a new Hereditary Cancer Model of Care was published in August 2023, which emphasises the use of the latest technology to develop services for people with an inherited predisposition to certain types of cancer. New types of testing were introduced and expanded in 2023, included testing for patients with a potential predisposition to the following cancers: brain, colon, head and neck, lung, ovarian, prostate, and soft tissue
  • in 2023, the National Cancer Information System (NCIS) was introduced at an additional 7 hospitals, meaning that multidisciplinary teams across 16 of the 26 chemotherapy-providing hospitals can work together on patient care. It is planned that most of the remaining hospitals will introduce NCIS in 2024
  • €0.8 million in funding was allocated in 2023 to enable the provision at St. Vincent’s University Hospital of radiolabelled therapy, also called PRRT, for neuroendocrine tumour (NET) patients. It is expected that 40 patients will receive this treatment per year, increasing to 50-60 per year in future, at a cost of €3.5 million per annum. This means that NET patients will no longer need to travel to receive this treatment

Additional developments in 2024 have included:

  • €3 million in funding for the Alliance of Community Cancer Support Centres will be allocated in 2024, supporting survivorship programmes for adults and children, lymphoedema therapy, and other services in communities throughout Ireland
  • €1.2 million in funding for cancer research taking place on a North-South basis under the tripartite Ireland-Northern Ireland-US Cancer Consortium was announced by the Health Research Board in March 2024
  • €7.5 million in government support for the construction of a new Daisy Lodge centre in Cong, County Mayo, which will commence construction this year
  • launch of radiolabelled therapy/PRRT in St. Vincent’s University Hospital in March 2024
  • the annual report for the second year of the Early Diagnosis of Symptomatic Cancer Plan 2022-2025 was published in April 2024, which shows progress in raising awareness of cancer among marginalised groups including members of the Travelling Community, and wide-ranging engagement among members of the public and health professionals to improve recognition of cancer signs and symptoms

Part of

Policies