On 13th November OUTpatients joined Cancer52 at Canary Warf for their Big Conversation on tackling health inequalities to mark the launch of its new inequalities report. Cancer52 is an alliance which brings together over 100 organisations representing people affected by rare and less common cancers.
We started the day with an introduction from Cancer52’s new CEO, Chris Walden, followed by an address by Professor Bola Owolabi, the Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme within NHS England. She highlighted the importance of health inequalities in NHS strategy at all levels and highlighted the vital role of third sector organisations in this pushing forward this work.
We then heard a panel discussion, chaired by Sonia Malik the Associate Director of Policy, Influencing & Voice at Young Lives vs Cancer, focused on advancing efforts to address health inequalities in rare and less common cancers. Participants included Professor Francis Chinegwundoh MBE, Chair of Cancer Black Care; Ian Vousden, Director of Kent & Medway Cancer Alliance; Yvonne Adebola, Executive Group Member at use MY data; Paul Budhan, Head of GI Oncology at AstraZeneca; and Darcy Bowman, Public Affairs Lead for Oncology and Haematology at Gilead Sciences UK and Ireland. Together, they explored strategies to bridge gaps in cancer care, leveraging patient advocacy, data-driven insights, and collaboration between healthcare providers, policy influencers, and pharmaceutical companies to ensure equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, and support for underserved communities.
OUTpatients Education Co-lead, Lee Dibben, spoke on the day’s second panel where different charities shared their current work on health inequalities. We then broke into smaller groups to discuss how Cancer52 members could further their work in this area. Lee hosted a table conversation about how charities representing people affected by rare and less common cancers can advocate for LGBTIQ+ people and ensure that their services are welcoming to our community.
Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to come together and explore concrete steps to reduce health inequalities in rare and less common cancers. We look forward to seeing how this important work progresses in future!