A GLOUCESTERSHIRE charity is backing a new cancer strategy which could save 30,000 lives a year.

The five-year-plan by NHS England’s cancer taskforce will involve a radical shake-up in public health services and the upgrading of outdated equipment.

It is estimated that the plan will cost £400m and could help an extra 30,000 patients survive for ten years.

The report revealed that cancer is the cause of more than a quarter of all deaths in England and Wales. In Gloucestershire it is responsible for 22 per cent of deaths in the county.

Andrew Fletcher, chief executive of Longfield, a charity providing hospice care which is based in Minchinhampton near Stroud, says any investment which helps saves lives is welcomed.

He says Longfield is already planning for the increased need for its services and will be able to support the NHS with this new strategy to improve care for cancer patients. The charity provides all its services free of charge.

“The report is clear that by providing more community-based care, we can improve the outcomes of people living with cancer and reduce the burden on NHS services,” he said.

“That is why, at Longfield, we are investing more than ever before in our community services.

While survival rates have been improving, England still lags behind some of the best performing countries.”

The report highlights the need for improvement in access to community services and stated that providing more coordinated care in the community, closer to people’s homes, would result in better outcomes for people.