More than half a million cancer patients are being let down by failings in basic care, a leading charity warns. This includes some 160,000 who are effectively left housebound because they are unable to walk, drive or use public transport. And more than 100,000 are not given enough help with routine tasks such as washing, dressing, going to the toilet or collecting their prescriptions. Shocking: More than half a million cancer patients are being let down by failings in basic care, a leading charity warns . The lack of support from the NHS and local councils is leaving patients distressed, lonely and humiliated, says the report by Macmillan. It estimates that around 512,000 patients with cancer – around one in three of the 1.6million diagnosed in the last ten years – do not get enough help. The charity says the problem is partly the fault of doctors and nurses failing to tell patients how to access extra help from the NHS, councils or voluntary organisations. But many patients who apply for extra funding from either the NHS or their local council are told they are not eligible. Macmillan’s report is based on a survey of 1,037 cancer patients and their carers. One in seven said the lack of support in attending an appointment, collecting a prescription or other basic care had led to them needing to go to hospital as their condition suddenly deteriorated. Lynda Thomas of Macmillan Cancer Support said: ‘It is heartbreaking that so many people with cancer are not getting the practical support and personal care they desperately need, too often living with constant feelings of fear, anger and isolation as a result. There is a growing recognition that social care is often vital for people living with long-term conditions.’ Lacking support: Macmillan estimates that around 512,000 patients with cancer do not get enough help . Cancer patients are too often assumed to have all their needs met by the NHS, because they are thought to require purely medical care, she added. ‘The findings debunk this unfair myth. They show that people with cancer have needs which are far more widespread than we had even realised and that sadly the health and social care systems are too often failing to provide basic support.’ Lisa Grice, 55, from Cheshire, who has womb cancer, said: ‘There was no support after I was discharged. I felt as if I was alone in dealing with everything. I was in a wheelchair, unable to wash myself or use the loo properly, and I felt very depressed.’ Frank Spurrock, 63, a retired teacher from Folkestone, Kent, is housebound for most of the week unless a friend or relative is free to help. He has a brain tumour and is mostly in a wheelchair. His partner works in London to support them and the only time he can get out is at weekends. Yet he was told by his local council he was not eligible for funding to pay for a carer because he has a pension. Macmillan has repeatedly warned that the health service is struggling to cope with the rising numbers of patients with cancer. NHS England said: ‘We are diagnosing and treating more people with cancer than ever before, and as a result more people than ever are surviving. ‘But with this comes a greater need to provide patients with practical and emotional support outside of the hospital setting – which is why we’re putting an unprecedented focus on better integrating health and social care services across the country.’
Over 100,000 not given enough help with routine tasks such as washing . Lack of support from NHS and local councils is leaving patients distressed . Figures from leading charity paint shocking picture of cancer patient care . Macmillan says the problem is partly the fault of doctors and nurses .