Good to hear the news from Cancer Research UK about the
huge progress in cancer survival rates, with most people surviving 10 years
after diagnosis in sharp contrast to years back when it was less than a year .
There are some fantastic advances being made in diagnosis
and treatment. The research on the genetic makeup of cancers is hugely
promising. I suppose I'm taking a somewhat greater interest in all this having
had prostate cancer. In fact the day that Cancer Research announced their
findings was exactly one year to the day that I had my successful brachytherapy
operation which cleared me. It means that I am now officially radiation free
and babies and pregnant women can now sit on my lap with abandon.
And who is largely responsible for this major
transformation? It is charities. The
vast bulk of the research is carried out by charities; either directly or in
work that they fund. We have pioneered new treatments and care systems and
supported people living with cancer. It is charities who are the major source
of information and advice. It is charities who campaign for better treatment
and hassle the NHS to get better at early diagnosis and health care. We
campaign against NICE when they won't authorise new drugs and we work with
Government to ensure the NHS gets its act together in early diagnosis. I was
lucky. It was by chance I discovered I had prostate cancer. I had no symptoms
but a relation had a PSA test (not positive), so I told my doctor I better have
one too!
Charities' role is so often forgotten since people think
it is the NHS that does all this work. And it is a sharp reminder of why our
charity sector needs to pay appropriate salaries, on a par with the NHS, for
professional staff.
We should not be afraid of banging the drum for 6-figure
salaries if that is what it takes to get a top scientist or academic. As I said
at the PASC hearing in the Commons in December, people with cancer deserve the
best, not the cheapest. We want to find the cause of cancer, and if that means
employing top scientists at large salaries then that is what we must do.
As the ACEVO "Good Pay Guide" said, it's all
about outcomes and value for money. Transparency isn't just about a process.
It's about the narrative. And it's about setting out our case on our terms, not
those of our critics. It would be a disaster if trustees now think they can't
advertise for top jobs over 100k, if that is what it takes to get the best.
What beneficiaries need is a high performing charity, led by a high performing
CEO.
After all, if you pay 50k and get poor performance that's
50k of charity money badly spent. If you pay 150k and get top performance - as
judged by beneficiaries, trustees and staff - then that's a great investment.
Let's not be coy about selling our case! The work of the cancer charities
demonstrates why we should be bold.
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