Thank you for contacting me about cancer treatment during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.
My sympathy goes to all those battling cancer and their loved ones and to all those who have lost family and friends to this terrible disease.
I was delighted when it was announced that NHS services could begin restarting from April, starting with the most urgent, like cancer care and mental health support. The NHS everywhere should be open for business, even during this time of additional restrictions, and anyone who needs care and treatment should be able to continue to access it as and when they need it, especially when delays could impose both an immediate and a long term risk to health.
Any constituent with concerns about their own care should contact my office to see if we can raise those concerns as an individual case.
The Government has already announced £3 billion funding to support the NHS recovery from COVID-19, to help to ease existing pressures and enable hospitals to carry out extra checks, scans, and other operations or procedures. Cancer patients will continue to be prioritised and will benefit from approximately £1 billion of this funding to begin tackling the elective backlog. This will be supported by £325 million for NHS diagnostics. This will help to ensure that cancer patients are able to access the care that they need as safely and quickly as possible. I understand that further funding is subject to the 2021 Spending Review in the autumn. This was reiterated as part of the Spring Budget 2021, and I firmly support the Government's ongoing commitment to the NHS and the vital service it provides, during normal times as well as the pandemic.
Safe Spaces: I know that continuation of cancer services is absolutely vital in many cases, which is why I welcome that restarting cancer care in a safe manner has been a priority for the NHS and for the Government. I welcome that, due to COVID-19, the 21 cancer alliances in England have established hubs to ensure dedicated cancer care away from hospitals dealing with the virus.
Radiotherapy: One of the measures outlined in the LTP is safer and more precise treatment, including advanced radiotherapy techniques and immunotherapies to continue to support improvements in survival rates. This will be supported by a £130 million upgrade of radiotherapy machines across England, as well as commissioning the NHS new state-of-the-art Proton Beam facilities in London and Manchester. In addition, the LTP commits to reforms to the specialised commissioning payments for radiotherapy hypofractionation to support further equipment upgrades. Faster, smarter and effective radiotherapy, supported by greater networking of specialised expertise, will mean more patients are offered curative treatment, with fewer side effects and shorter treatment times. Starting with ovarian cancer, the NHS will ensure greater access to specialist expertise and knowledge in the treatment of cancers where there are fewer or more risky treatment options.
Bowel Cancer Screening: I am aware that some NHS services, including screening appointments for Bowel Cancer, were necessarily slowed down or paused to enable resources to be used in the ongoing fight against coronavirus. Since April 2020, NHS services have been reopening, including cancer care, and I know that as part of that cancer teams across the country have been working extremely hard to deliver services in a safe way that does not put patients at risk of exposure to coronavirus. I will continue to work with my colleagues at the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that screening services are prioritised to help people to get the care that they need. I will continue to monitor this issue closely.
I would like to reiterate that I would be happy to discuss individual concerns over the phone, if you would find that helpful.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Craig Whittaker MP
May 2021