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Dept of Health

Answer

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the recently announced extra money for cancer care will be targeted at specific forms of cancer; and which research institutes and sites of excellence will benefit from the additional money. [144974] Yvette Cooper: The NHS Plan announced that health authorities will receive an additional £280 million in 2001-02, £407 million in 2002-03 and £570 million by 2003-04 for improving cancer services as set out in the National Health Service cancer plan. The plan sets out the priorities for cancer services including improved prevention measures; increasing the cancer workforce; reducing waiting times for diagnosis and treatment; introducing the most effective treatments (including implementing recommendations by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on anti-cancer drugs and implementing evidence-based guidance on effective service delivery); updating cancer equipment, and reorganising delivery of care. The aim is that, as the plan is implemented, patients with all forms of cancer will experience prompt access to treatment and care based on up-to-date evidence. Early action will include implementation of recent and forthcoming guidance on upper gastrointestinal, urological and haematological cancers; new waiting times targets to ensure rapid access to treatment for people with breast cancer, childhood cancers, testicular cancer and leukaemia; and the start of the roll out of the breast screening programme to women aged 65-70. All centres of research excellence will benefit from the extra money announced for cancer care. In addition by 2003, we will be investing an additional £20 million each year in the new National Cancer Research Network (NCRN) and an extra £4 million each year on prostate cancer research. The NCRN will, among many other things, further integrate research and cancer care.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

361 c156-7W;361 c156-8W; 144974

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Cancer Diagnosis Health services Finance Medical treatments Waiting lists Research

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk