VJVirtual | “Bridging the gap”: Overcoming health inequalities for lung cancer patients

Robert Rintoul, PhD, FRCP, University of Cambridge and Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK and Chair of the UK Lung Cancer Coalition (UKLCC) Clinical Advisory Group, discusses the key recommendations in the UKLCC report “”Bridging the Gap””. There is a need to improve the data being collected via the National Lung Cancer Audit (NLCA), which will then allow for better analysis of trends and identification of the biggest areas of need. Improvements also need to be made to the holistic needs assessments, with recommendations including starting the collection of holistic needs data in primary care, giving patients health needs cards to carry with them to their appointments across a variety of sites and NHS trusts, and helping patients to overcome barriers such as childcare or transport needs. Dr Rintoul also emphasises the importance of CT screening programmes to increase early diagnosis and the continuation of smoking cessation and disease awareness programmes.

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