Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales supports the launch of ‘Claire’s Campaign’ in association with cancer campaigner, Claire O’Shea, and Tenovus Cancer Care.
The campaign aims to amplify the voices of women who have felt ignored by and let down by the system, leading to misdiagnosis, inadequate care, and tragic outcomes.
In Wales, around 1,200 people are diagnosed with a gynaecological cancer every year and 470 people die. Only 32.2% of cases meet the suspected cancer pathway targets, despite cancer and women’s health being a Welsh Government priority.
The launch comes as MSs debated the findings of the Senedd's Health and Social Committee’s landmark report, Unheard: Women’s Journey Through Gynaecological Cancer.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Rowlands, Shadow Health Minister said:
I'm hopeful that the report and its contents will have a positive impact on the way in which gynaecological cancer is addressed in Wales. It struck me that the first word in that title is the word 'unheard' and people need to be listened to, and when people present with symptoms—not vague symptoms, but clear symptoms, symptoms that need to be spoken of properly—people are listened to.
We have heard the word 'gaslighting', with people being told to doubt what it is that they're feeling. That needs to be removed completely from people's experience when they visit their GPs or other health professionals.
The other side of listening, is the listening from Welsh Government, We're sick and tired of a tone-deaf response and I really hope that the Cabinet Secretary, is not just hearing but listening, to the words that are being said.
I would just like to focus on a couple of the recommendations. The first one that struck me was recommendation 4, which was outright rejected, This asked Welsh Government to work with health boards to ensure that an assessment is made of gynaecological cancer related services lost during the pandemic and ensure that those services are reinstated quickly.
The number of people who are diagnosed with gynaecological cancers, and, sadly, around 470 of those are dying in Wales each year. Dr Louise Hanna of the Wales Cancer Network, called for immediate action on this survey to know what services were lost due to COVID and to reinstate those immediately.
The second recommendation, number 12, was the one that wants Welsh Government to work with different groups, including Public Health Wales, on a series of campaigns to raise awareness about the symptoms of gynaecological cancer.
This was accepted in part, but there are concerns that previous campaigns haven't been as effective as they should have been. It is a fairly straightforward recommendation that would make a huge difference to the lives of women up and down Wales, and I'm baffled as to why Welsh Government didn't feel that they could accept that recommendation because we know that raising awareness is half the battle for illnesses like this.
Effective campaigns mean that more people are aware of potential symptoms and can, crucially, get checked out before the cancer becomes too pervasive. This is a relatively straightforward way to help save lives, and a relatively low-cost way of helping to save those lives as well.
The recommendations were drafted after three women, including Claire, bravely shared their powerful testimonies to cross-party committee members as part of their inquiry into gynaecological cancer last year. All three women said they had felt unheard at various points along the cancer pathway.
Eighteen of the 26 inquiry report recommendations were accepted by the Welsh Government in its response in March. ‘Claire’s Campaign’ calls for all the recommendations to be implemented as a priority by Welsh Government.
If you have an experience to share or want to support the campaign, visit: https://clairescampaign.cymru/.
Sam Rowlands AS yn tynnu sylw at ymgyrch 'Claire' a lansiwyd i roi llais i fenywod â chanser gynaecolegol
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros Ogledd Cymru yn cefnogi lansiad Ymgyrch Claire ar y cyd â'r ymgyrchydd canser, Claire O'Shea, a Gofal Canser Tenovus.
Nod yr ymgyrch yw rhoi mwy o lais i fenywod sy’n teimlo eu bod yn cael eu hanwybyddu a'u gadael i lawr gan y system, gan arwain at ddiagnosis anghywir, gofal annigonol, a chanlyniadau trasig.
Yng Nghymru, mae tua 1,200 o bobl yn cael diagnosis o ganser gynaecolegol bob blwyddyn ac mae 470 yn marw. Dim ond 32.2% o achosion sy'n cyrraedd targedau'r llwybr canser a amheuir, er bod canser ac iechyd menywod yn flaenoriaeth i Lywodraeth Cymru.
Daw'r lansiad wrth i Aelodau o’r Senedd drafod canfyddiadau adroddiad pwysig Pwyllgor Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol y Senedd, Heb lais: Taith menywod drwy ganser gynaecolegol.
Wrth siarad yn y Senedd, dywedodd Mr Rowlands, Gweinidog Iechyd yr Wrthblaid:
Gobeithio y bydd yr adroddiad a'i gynnwys yn cael effaith gadarnhaol ar y ffordd y mae canser gynaecolegol yn cael sylw yng Nghymru. Trawodd fi mai'r geiriau cyntaf yn y teitl hwnnw yw 'heb lais’ ac mae angen gwrando ar bobl, a phan fydd pobl yn profi symptomau—nid symptomau annelwig, ond symptomau clir, symptomau y mae angen eu trafod yn iawn—mae angen gwrando ar bobl.
Rydyn ni wedi clywed y gair 'dibwyllo', gyda phobl yn cael eu cynghori i amau beth maen nhw'n ei deimlo. Mae angen dileu hynny'n llwyr o brofiad pobl pan fyddan nhw’n ymweld â'u meddygon teulu neu weithwyr iechyd proffesiynol eraill.
Yr ochr arall o wrando, yw'r gwrando gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Rydyn ni wedi hen flino ar ddiffyg ymateb ac rydw i wir yn gobeithio bod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, nid yn unig yn clywed ond yn gwrando, ar y geiriau sy'n cael eu dweud.
Hoffwn ganolbwyntio ar gwpl o'r argymhellion. Yr un cyntaf a'm trawodd oedd argymhelliad 4, a wrthodwyd yn llwyr. Roedd yn gofyn i Lywodraeth Cymru weithio gyda byrddau iechyd i sicrhau bod asesiad yn cael ei wneud o wasanaethau sy'n gysylltiedig â chanser gynaecolegol a gollwyd yn ystod y pandemig a sicrhau bod y gwasanaethau hynny'n cael eu hadfer yn gyflym.
Y nifer y bobl sy'n cael diagnosis o ganser gynaecolegol, ac, yn anffodus, mae tua 470 o'r rheini yn marw yng Nghymru bob blwyddyn. Galwodd Dr Louise Hanna o Rwydwaith Canser Cymru am weithredu ar unwaith ar yr arolwg hwn i wybod pa wasanaethau a gollwyd yn sgil COVID ac i adfer y rheini ar unwaith.
Roedd yr ail argymhelliad, rhif 12, am i Lywodraeth Cymru weithio gyda grwpiau gwahanol, gan gynnwys Iechyd Cyhoeddus Cymru, ar gyfres o ymgyrchoedd i godi ymwybyddiaeth o symptomau canser gynaecolegol.
Cafodd ei dderbyn yn rhannol, ond mae pryderon nad yw ymgyrchoedd blaenorol wedi bod mor effeithiol ag y dylen nhw fod. Mae'n argymhelliad eithaf syml a fyddai'n gwneud gwahaniaeth enfawr i fywydau menywod hyd a lled Cymru, ac roedd hi’n siomedig nad oedd Llywodraeth Cymru yn teimlo y gallai dderbyn yr argymhelliad hwnnw gan ein bod yn gwybod bod codi ymwybyddiaeth yn hanner y frwydr gyda salwch fel hyn.
Mae ymgyrchoedd effeithiol yn golygu bod mwy o bobl yn ymwybodol o symptomau posibl ac y gallant, yn hollbwysig, gael eu harchwilio cyn i'r canser gael gafael. Mae hon yn ffordd gymharol syml o helpu i achub bywydau, ac yn ffordd gymharol rad o helpu i achub y bywydau hynny hefyd.
Cafodd yr argymhellion eu drafftio ar ôl i dair menyw, gan gynnwys Claire, rannu eu tystiolaethau grymus yn ddewr i aelodau pwyllgor trawsbleidiol fel rhan o'u hymchwiliad i ganser gynaecolegol y llynedd. Dywedodd y tair menyw eu bod wedi teimlo nad oedd ganddyn nhw lais ar wahanol adegau ar hyd y llwybr canser.
Cafodd deunaw o'r 26 o argymhellion yn adroddiad yr ymchwiliad eu derbyn gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn ei hymateb ym mis Mawrth. Mae 'Ymgyrch Claire' yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i weithredu'r holl argymhellion fel blaenoriaeth.
Os oes gennych chi brofiad i'w rannu neu eisiau cefnogi'r ymgyrch, ewch i: https://clairescampaign.cymru/cy/hafan/
