Cancer boss says put health staff at ‘coal face’

IRELAND’S national cancer control chief yesterday insisted a key to getting quality in healthcare was to put doctors and surgeons at the “coal face” of the system.

Prof Tom Keane dismissed the value in promoting medical professionals to management posts while outlining “radical changes” he had overseen when previously working for Canada’s cancer care system.

The head of the National Cancer Control Programme said there had been a “brutal redesign” of cancer care in British Columbia, where he had worked.