-- 89% of adults believe that if they had cancer they should have access to the same standard of care regardless of where they live.

-- 90% believe that all groups in society should have equal access to cancer care, regardless of their age, gender or walk of life.

-- The public are comfortable with a diversity of healthcare providers. If cancer treatment were free by all providers - 40% would prefer treatment at a private centre, 23% prefer the NHS and 28% of the public have no preference.

-- Unprompted, 76% of the public says cancer is a national health priority, and places it far ahead of other health priorities.

-- 79% of British adults would like to know about all potential cancer treatments - even if they are unavailable on the NHS.

-- People with first-hand experience of NHS care have greater confidence in the NHS: 88% of people with cancer are confident that their local NHS hospital would care for them well.

The public firmly believe that all people have a right to an equal standard of cancer care, going against the current system of postcode prescribing, Ipsos MORI research carried out on behalf of Cancerbackup and funded by PruHealth, reveals today. Cancer is also spontaneously cited as the public's top health priority, far exceeding heart disease in second place.

Deciding whether or not to tell patients about a cancer treatment that may not be available to them can be a very hard ethical decision for health professionals. But the survey has shown that four in five (79%) British adults, if they had cancer, would like to be informed about all cancer treatment options, even if they wouldn't be able to access them on the NHS locally. Among people who had cancer in the past five years this rises to almost nine in ten (88%). Over half of British adults (58%) say that if they had cancer, they would want to know how much different treatment options were costing the health service.

?This survey shows without a doubt that the public are passionate about equity of cancer care regardless of age, gender and location, and we need to ensure that everyone affected by cancer can expect the same level of care,? says Joanne Rule, Cancerbackup Chief Executive. ?Although people are passionate about equity, they appear to be comfortable with a choice of cancer care providers, including private medical centres, as long as the care is of high quality and publicly funded. The overall results are a vote of confidence in the NHS.?

When asked, if the treatment was free, whether they would prefer to be treated in a private medical centre or by the NHS, 40% would opt for a private medical centre, while 23% would opt for the NHS and a further 28% have no preference. Young people and those in rural areas are more likely to opt for private centre treatment. However, people who have been diagnosed with cancer in the last five years are more likely to prefer to be treated by the NHS, perhaps reflecting their experience of quality care.

Since 2003 , cancer has remained the public's top health priority. When asked, unprompted, which illnesses or diseases should be a national health priority, over three-quarters (76%) mentioned cancer. This exceeds the second highest priority - heart disease (41%) - by a margin of 35%. Previous research by Ipsos MORI, conducted on behalf of the Evening Standard prior to the general election in April 2005, shows that, health care was the single issue named by most of the public as being very important in helping them decide how to vote, and this was also the case in 1997 and 2001.

The NHS has come under a lot of criticism due to financial pressures and significant changes being made, but this survey reveals that the public has confidence in the NHS regarding cancer care. Nearly seven in ten people (68%) feel confident that if they had cancer their local NHS hospital would care for them well. Among those people who have been diagnosed with cancer in the last five years, almost nine in ten (88%) are confident about the care they would get from their local NHS. This gap may reflect a difference between perception and reality in that those who have had first hand experience of NHS cancer care give an even better rating of such NHS care than those who might yet experience it.

The funding of cancer treatments has become a very prominent issue and Cancerbackup commissioned an Ipsos MORI survey to better understand the values the public hold in relation to cancer services. Cancerbackup has also launched an online survey to understand how having cancer information can impact on people's cancer journey.

Shaun Matisonn, Chief Executive of PruHealth, the insurer which funded the survey, said: ?Cancer is tremendously important and affects many people - everyone has a desire to treat it as effectively as possible. Reports, such as this, based on what people really think, should help to influence the direction of health policy in the UK. My personal view is that the issue of cancer is becoming too big for any one stakeholder to deal with on its own and that collaboration between the public and private sector could work very effectively. The findings we\'ve seen today support this view - they show that the public is confident about NHS cancer care and supportive of private cancer centre care, especially if it is free. I think this insight will prove to be very valuable in the debate about the future of healthcare in this country.?

Download Full Ipsos MORI report (653.69 Kb)

1) Technical Details

-- Ipsos MORI interviewed a representative total sample of 5,994 adults aged 15+ in 415 sampling points across Great Britain
-- Three waves of the survey were used to access (in addition to the representative sample of the general public) a robust booster sample of people who have been diagnosed with cancer in the last five years, and people with a household member who has been diagnosed with cancer in the last five years:
-- Wave 1: 1,965 (people with cancer; 54; others with cancer in household: 93)
-- Wave 2: 2,034 (people with cancer; 47; others with cancer in household: 88)
-- Wave 3: 1,995 (people with cancer; 38; others with cancer in household: 76)
-- Fieldwork was conducted between 28 July and 17 August 2006
-- Interviews were carried out face-to-face, in home, using CAPI, as part of the Ipsos MORI Capibus
-- The sample design ensures that Capibus accurately reflects the GB population in terms of region and area types as well as informant demographics. In order to correct minor deviations, Capibus uses a rim weighting system which weights to NRS defined profiles for age, social grade, region and working status - within gender

2) Cancerbackup is the only national charity that specialises in providing information on all types of cancer.

3) These are the results of an Ipsos MORI survey, funded by PruHealth, and the results are representative of the adult British population. The survey also included a sub-sample of people who had been diagnosed with cancer in the last five years and a further group of people who have someone in their household who has been diagnosed with cancer in the past five years.

4) All Cancerbackup services are free to cancer patients, their relatives and friends.

5) Cancerbackup Centres can be found in St Bartholomew's Hospital, Charing Cross Hospital, the London Clinic, The Christie Hospital, Ipswich Hospital, Nottingham City Hospital, Walsgrave Hospital and the Torbay Hospital Annexe. The charity's interactive website can be found at http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk

6) Cancerbackup, as a charity, receives 54% of its funding from individuals, 11% from charitable trusts, 5% from grants, 14% from companies, 2% from investments and 14% from its trading company. Pharmaceutical companies contributed 9% of the total 2005/06 income.

7) PruHealth was launched in October 2004 as a joint venture between Prudential and Discovery Holdings from South Africa. It is the only UK private medical insurer to reward people for looking after their health. Since launch, PruHealth has grown quickly. It now has over 63,000 lives, has a 99% retention rate for group clients, and has won some major new deals. One third of its membership base is new to the PMI market.

http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk