With the growing burden of cancer and financial pressures on our health care systems, there is an urgent need to improve the efficiency in cancer care. Improving efficiency is not a question of linear cost-cutting – but of finding ways to allocate resources more efficiently to achieve better outcomes for patients. This will require tough decisions, and thinking in terms of long-term investments rather than short-term policy fixes.
All.Can is an international, multi-stakeholder policy initiative aiming to identify ways we can optimize the use of resources in cancer care by focusing on outcomes that matter most to patients – and create greater efficiency in cancer care. This involves examining what system inefficiencies exist, finding examples of how we can improve efficiency in cancer care and implementing concrete policy actions based on these findings.
All.Can is comprised of leading representatives from patient organizations, policymakers, health care professionals, research and industry. The All.Can Group consists of All.Can International, plus All.Can national initiatives currently established in 14 countries including Canada.
Save Your Skin Foundation (SYSF) is a national, patient-led, not-for-profit group dedicated to leading the fight against non-melanoma skin cancers, melanoma and ocular melanoma. SYSF was established as All.Can Canada’s Secretariat to lead the initiative in Canada, bringing the approach and lessons learned by the international group to Canada.
2018
Development and implementation of pre-meeting surveys to evaluate the perspectives of stakeholders – including patients, patient group representatives, health care professionals, pharmaceutical industry representatives, policy makers and health technology assessment groups – on the greatest areas of waste and inefficiency in cancer care in Canada.
2019
Establishment of an evidence base of patient insights gained from people’s personal experience, to identify opportunities to reallocate resources to improve patient health outcomes and value of care.
External advisory meeting with senior health policy experts from across Canada to discuss issues related to access to innovative therapies and the prioritisation of cancer funding within the health system.
Creation of draft Consolidated report on waste and inefficiency in Canadian cancer care incorporating the perspectives of patients, physicians, industry, policy makers, and HTA gathered from anonymous surveys to guide discussions at multi-stakeholder roundtable meeting.
Hosted inaugural multi-stakeholder All.Can Canada pilot roundtable meeting, Toronto, Ontario to find consensus on priorities and next steps to move All.Can Canada forward.
Assembled All.Can Canada interim steering committee with representation from all stakeholder groups to support, guide and oversee the progress of a multi-year project that was derived from the roundtable.
2020
Distribution of Roundtable Report and final Consolidated report on waste and inefficiency in Canadian cancer care with consensus statement to attendees and stakeholders
Began Environmental Scan research project to evaluate capacity of current cancer care system to assess the current state diagnosis within cancer care systems in Canada including finalizing Research Plan and Tools, getting approval from an Independent Research Ethics Board, and completing Literature Review.
Held meeting with CPAC to identify potential alignment with CPAC’s new Canadian Cancer Control Strategy and obtain support
Launched COVID-19 Oncology Patient Support Hub, bringing together Canadian oncology patient groups, mental health expertise and health care providers to respond to immediate, emotional and practical needs of Canadian oncology patients.
The All.Can Canada Steering Committee includes representation from all stakeholder groups and supports, guides and oversees the progress of this multi-year project. For more information please contact all.can@saveyourskin.ca.
Secretariat:
All.Can Canada publications and press releases:
November 2019: All.Can Canada Roundtable event, Toronto, Ontario
October 2019: All.Can launches skin-cancer-specific findings from full report
September 2019: All.Can Canada Report: Patient Insights on Canadian Cancer Care
July 2019: All.Can launches international patient survey resulting report
June 2018: Canada joins international patient survey to improve cancer care
January 2018: All.Can International launches survey of cancer patients
As a member of All.Can, Save Your Skin Foundation is working in this area, adding Canadian perspective to the global project. For more information please visit the All.Can website, and read more about the All.Can Canada initiative. To learn more about All.Can Canada or to inquire about getting involved, please email: all.can@saveyourskin.ca
Making awareness and education available is crucial. Since 2006, the Foundation has worked to raise awareness of melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers focusing on education, prevention and the need for improved patient care.