Cancer experts gather for Bangor Conference

On Wednesday and Thursday this week (23/24/11/11), delegates from across the UK will be gathering at Bangor University for the second conference exploring how services for patients with cancer can be provided in a rural environment.

The Conference is a joint venture between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Bangor University, and the North Wales Clinical School. The organisers have brought together a line up of notable speakers, including:

Matt Makin who is Visiting Professor and Chief of Staff for Cancer at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board explained: “Trying to deliver effective care for cancer patients across a rural area like north Wales, with a relatively sparse population and a large area to cover, is a very different challenge from running services in a big city. The themes of the conference this year are how we meet the challenge of diagnosing cancer early and how we support and follow up patients after cancer treatment. The other issue we will be discussing is how we meet the challenge of providing modern cancer care in difficult financial times.

 “We are very proud of what has been achieved in Cancer Services across North Wales and we hope that the Conference will be the catalyst for further developments, both here and for our colleagues from other parts of Britain.”

Professor Nick Stuart, who is Professor of Cancer Studies at Bangor University said:
“The University is pleased to welcome this conference which illustrates the increasingly close working between the University and the Health Board. The conference highlights a number of key challenges that are faced by the Health Service in Wales and which will only be solved by researchers and health specialists working jointly together.”

Speakers at the Conference include:

Professor Willie Hamilton, Professor of Primary Care Diagnostics, Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, will be talking about “The mistakes we make in cancer diagnosis”.

Dr. Richard Neal, Clinical Senior Lecturer at the North Wales Centre for Primary Care Research, Bangor University, will be asking; “How much does early diagnosis matter?”

Professor Eila Watson, HRH Prince Sultan Professor in Supportive Cancer Care, Department of Clinical Health Care, Oxford Brookes University will be putting the question; “Where next for the cancer survivor?”

Dr. Geoffrey Carroll, Medical Director, Welsh Health Specialised Services Team will be considering   “Access to higher cost cancer care … is possible within a shrinking NHS?”

Publication date: 23 November 2011