Scrap routine follow-up of cancer survivors, says leading charity Mr Devane said: "Put simply, the current follow-up appointments system is past its sell-by-date and is no longer fit for purpose. The health and social care services across the UK must radically transform how they deal with patients" aftercare - especially as the number of people getting and surviving cancer is soaring. Doctors need to be able to identify which patients need regular face-to-face appointments and specialist support, and which don't. They also need to support cancer patients to develop the skills to manage their own condition. He said: "The pressure on hospitals wil only get worse - cancer specialists will be overloaded if we continue with the current system - which is wasteful for the NHS and does not give survivors the support they actually need." National statistics released this month show that death rates from cancer have fallen by more than one fifth since 1990. The charity said that about one in five cancer survivors are likely to benefit from regular follow-up appointments, but that all needed to be given far more information about symptoms which could mean the return of disease, or other conditions associated with cancer, which were unlikely to be detected in routine check-ups. Studies have found that women who survive breast cancer have twice the risk of suffering from heart problems, while prostate cancer survivors have twice the risk of osteoporosis. Mr Devane said that cancer survivors - and their family doctors - needed to be given far more information about their condition, and the risks attached to it, so they could monitor their health. He said a new system of care should also ensure that patients had a number to call, so they could quickly access help if they needed it, instead of waiting for routine check-ups. Schemes following the model are already in place for breast cancer in Northern Ireland, bowel cancer in Sheffield and head and neck cancer in West Yorkshire. The charity said the time hospitals spend on routine follow-up appointments has increased almost 10-fold since the 1970s, due to increasing cancer incidence and improved survival.