Too much news, not enough information

I haven’t written for a while because there is too much news, too much happening albeit without much detail always being provided’. Charities in our sector are struggling to keep up with the avalanche of discussions and consultations around the “refresh” of the Cancer Reform Strategy and the Government White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ published in July and then there are the implications of the Cancer Drugs Fund – the list seems endless.

One thing about having very limited resources, as we do, is that it really focuses the mind on where you put your energies for the greatest impact. Tempting as it may be to indulge in rafts of meetings and discussions and briefing documents each led by a different organisation – if you don’t have the people you can’t. Happily this has a very positive result that you focus on what is important to your stakeholders and feed in to whichever you think is the best group.

We took a view before the election that there were many other charities that would focus on health. Therefore we, as readers will know, took on the Charity Research Support Fund as our campaign. If this fund disappears, less research will be supported. This will lead to a reduction in research, a brain drain of our brightest and best scientists and an inexorable slow down in improving cancer treatment. Our arm is strengthened because we are working with the Association of Medical Research Charities.

On everything else we are working with the Cancer Campaigning Group – watch that space!