KEY POINTS:
Most of the milestones set for first two years of the Government's Cancer Control Strategy Plan have been achieved, according to a report issued yesterday.
But Health Minister Pete Hodgson said there was a lot more work to do.
"We've still got a way to go in developing a national cancer workforce strategy," he said as he issued the Cancer Control Council report.
"We need this so that we can improve the delivery of services across the whole continuum of cancer control."
Mr Hodgson said several district health boards were improving the capacity and capability of their cancer nursing workforce.
Work was also under way to develop a national education and training framework for cancer and palliative care nursing.
"There are many good initiatives happening at a local level, and within particular district health boards," he said.
"The challenge now is to make sure these are taken up consistently across New Zealand."
The cancer control strategy includes prevention, screening and early detection, treatment, support and rehabilitation, palliative care, and surveillance and research.
The report said 70 per cent of milestones in the first phase of the action plan had been achieved or were in progress.
- NZPA
