Dear Mr Mellor,

Thank you for your email of 12 June to the Department of Health about NHS cancer services.

As you may be aware, more than one in three people will develop cancer at some time in their lives and a quarter of all people will die from it.  Incidence rates are increasing, which may be linked to the ageing population, although some of this rise is a reflection of improved data collection and the increased availability of screening and diagnostic tests.

 

Across England, there has been a great improvement in cancer survival rates.  In 1971, less than 24 per cent of patients diagnosed with cancer lived more than ten years but 46 per cent of the patients diagnosed with cancer during 2001/02 are expected to survive at least ten years.  However, Ministers recognise that more can be done to improve the survival rates for people with cancer.

 

Early diagnosis can greatly increase a patient’s chance of survival, so improving people’s awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer is very important.  The Department of Health is investing in a campaign to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast, lung and bowel cancers to encourage people with symptoms to seek help earlier than they do currently.  The Healthy Communities Collaborative, part of the Improvement Foundation, is running the programme of work, which is due to be completed in June 2009, using a social marketing approach in a number of communities.


 The changes in the cancer Improving Outcomes Guidance (IOG), issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, are only to the specialist surgery aspect of a patient’s care pathway, and affect only a small number of patients.  The remainder of patients’ care will continue to be provided at their local hospitals.
 

As you are aware, the proposals have been subject to public consultation.  Before any Trusts can implement any changes, the proposals must be approved by the local Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC), which will determine if the proposals are in the best interests of the local population.  If the OSC disagrees, it can refer the matter to the Secretary of State for a final decision.     

 

Much of the progress made on cancer services can be attributed to the development of services following the publication of the NHS Cancer Plan in 2000.  Doctors, nurses and NHS managers across the country have worked hard to implement these changes.  However, the number of new cases of cancer is rising and there are inequalities in outcomes between different parts of the country.  This is why the Government needs to take further steps.

On 3 December 2007 , the Department published the Cancer Reform Strategy, which builds on the progress made since the publication of the NHS Cancer Plan and sets a clear direction for the development of cancer services in England over the next five years .  It contains a wide range of measures to tackle cancer and improve patient care, and it will transform existing cancer care from prevention and diagnosis to treatment and aftercare.  Key elements of the strategy include focus on prevention, faster treatment, extended screening, fast-track drug approval and extended services for the increasing numbers of people surviving cancer.  The strategy can be viewed on the Department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk.

The National Cancer Director, Professor Mike Richards, has consulted widely with his clinical colleagues about the value of collecting accurate information about clinical outcomes for cancer patients.  There is widespread support for this among clinicians, as they recognise that such data can help to drive up the quality of care that patients receive.  This has been experienced in areas where there is already high quality data, for example, for patients with breast cancer detected through screening.

 

The drive for improved information on clinical outcomes also has strong support from the cancer charities, such as Cancer Research UK , and the National Cancer Research Institute.

Finally, I should like to assure you that the Government does invest substantially in health research and a significant part of that investment goes on cancer research and development.  We spend more on cancer research in the UK than on any other area of human health, with £168million spent on cancer research in 2005/06.  The Medical Research Council (MRC) similarly devotes a relatively large part of its total budget to cancer research.

 

I hope this reply is helpful.
Yours sincerely,
 
Jane Spencer
Customer Service Centre