Germany

Cancer care in Germany

The quality of cancer care in Germany is at its highest and access to treatment is available to all. However, challenges remain, such as differences in the quality of care between rural and urban areas, timely access to psycho-oncology, secure and sustainable financing of cancer counselling facilities, comprehensible guidance for patients while switching from in- to outpatient care and the decrease in quality of life for cancer patients six months after the end of therapy.

All.Can Germany is committed to working on these challenges in order to improve care for cancer patients in Germany. Currently, All.Can Germany is focusing on highlighting challenges in improving after care and access to care for patients from rural areas on all care levels. The number of cancer survivors has fortunately steadily increased over the last decades after care is lagging.

After care is needed in order to adequately care for patients after initial treatment and to detect possible relapses at an early stage. Cancer patients are often overwhelmed by a confusing care structure, as after care services are offered through a variety of institutions, organizations and carriers. All.Can Germany will bring together experts in the field of oncological cancer care in order to find solutions. Furthermore, All.Can Germany is working on inspiring the necessary political attention that is needed to implement these solutions.

For more details All.Can Germany’s projects please continue reading below (All.Can Germany in 2020).

All.Can Germany initiative

All.Can Germany was established with a kick-off event in November 2016. The initiative takes into account the entire patient pathway from a holistic perspective, from diagnosis and specialised cancer treatment to rehabilitation, returning to everyday life and follow-up care – including crucial aspects such as psycho-oncology, specialist cancer nursing and translational cancer research.

All.Can Germany aims to develop concepts to overcome gaps between these steps and in the future of cancer care: between self-help and physicians, intersectoral between inpatient and outpatient care, and linking cancer care with cancer research. Creating better links and interactions helps to reduce inefficiencies and improve cancer care overall, always focusing on patient needs.

In order to achieve these goals, All.Can Germany acts as a network and facilitates communication between stakeholders, patients, medical professionals and political representatives. All.Can Germany acts as a driving force and generator of ideas on specific projects improving cancer care in Germany. For more information on the projects of All.Can Germany in 2020 please continue reading below.

All.Can Germany in 2020

Currently, All.Can Germany is pursuing a regional oncological care pilot project in Saxony-Anhalt to enhance medical care for cancer patients. The project aims to better coordinate oncological care services for patients, thereby improving the quality of care and enhancing their quality of life.

The aim is to improve the transitions between in- and outpatient care and to pave the way for patients to receive care that meets their individual needs and identifies problems at an early stage. In particular, the project aims at benefiting those affected by less dense oncological care infrastructure in rural areas. The goal of the project is a holistic approach and thus includes a wide range of stakeholders, including university clinicians, cancer care researchers, patient representatives, insurers, and politicians.

Two meetings with the stakeholders have already taken place. On 17 June 2019, a working meeting took place in the constituency office of MP Tino Sorge on the possible establishment of a regional oncological care pilot project.

The challenges and opportunities of cancer care at a regional level were discussed at the working meeting using the example of Saxony-Anhalt. The following points were identified as important challenges of the Saxony-Anhalt region when it comes to cancer care:

• Long journeys and lack of coverage of travel costs;
• Lack of refinancing of cancer counselling centres/high demand for counselling in rural areas
• Unclear application procedures for costs incurred and thus prolonged processing times at the insurance company;
• A decrease in quality of life six months after therapy, especially for geriatric patients;
• Patients take advantage of cancer counselling services too late.

Possible solutions and premises for the pilot project were also discussed:

• Building on existing supply and care structures and using synergies;
• Generating evidence through patient surveys and focusing on the patients’ needs;
• Using “best practice” approaches;
• Testing of digital possibilities;
• Focusing on rural areas.

Following the first working meeting many individual conversations with the stakeholders took place in order to develop a more concrete plan for the pilot project. This plan was presented at the second working meeting on 15 May 2020.

MP Tino Sorge hosted and moderated this meeting. Due to the lasting implications of the Covid-19 epidemic MP Sorge welcomed the participants via video conference.

During the video conference, the participants generally agreed on the following approach:
The pilot project could be comprised of two stages. The first stage would be the data collection stage. The data would be assessed to gain cross-sector insights on the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and areas that require interventions. In the coming weeks, a working group will be established to conceptualize the data collection and evaluation phase.
The second stage will be medical care intervention based on the outcome of the prior evaluated data.

In addition, All.Can Germany is working to improve political awareness for the need for improved after care for cancer patients in Germany. An internal report on cancer after care was finalised to obtain an overview of the legal requirements and medical guidelines for oncological after care, as well as offers outside of the doctor’s office, such as counselling by self-help groups, applying for benefits with the responsible authorities and best practice examples of discharge management.
Cancer after care is only marginally addressed in the most important plans of the German government to combat cancer. With improved treatment options, the number of Cancer Survivors is growing continuously.

Cancer Survivors need and deserve an optimized after care structure. On the one hand, an improved after care structure offers a clear added value for cancer patients in the form of an optimized quality of life, tertiary prevention and stress and anxiety reduction. On the other hand, these patient benefits can offer great social added value, for example through more flexible reintegration models into the labour market and a reduced need for long-term care.

In the summer of 2020, an expert discussion will take place in order to discuss cancer after care with a wide range of experts and to come up with recommendations that will be presented to the German Parliament later in the year.

Updates on the two projects will be posted under Events and on this page.

Past activities and milestones

IIn 2017 and 2018 All.Can Germany conducted a roadshow to assess a baseline overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the cancer care system. Findings from this roadshow were, among others, the need for psycho-oncological support and more extensive networks to strengthen outpatient care services across sectors. Moreover, the roadshow was a valuable opportunity to learn about specialized oncological care and its chances for national scale-up. A report was written based on the findings of the roadshow. This report was presented at the regional conference NORTH in Hamburg in 2019. At the conference possible future activities for All.Can Germany were also discussed.