Cancer Task Force Debate
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Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown
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Cancer Task Force
Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown Excerpts(4 years ago)
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Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (DUP) [V]
My Lords, with radiotherapy being needed for over 50% of cancer patients and involved in 40% of cancer cures, what is being done to ensure that patients can continue to access this life-saving treatment throughout the Covid-19 pandemic? Are there plans to improve access to radiotherapy for the 2.5 million people currently living over the recommended 45-minute travel time to bring cancer treatment closer to people’s homes?
Lord Bethell (Con)
My Lords, during the Covid pandemic, radiotherapy services have continued. We are working to ensure that the need to travel to hospital is kept to a minimum, using drugs where they present an alternative to radiotherapy. The recovery of our radiotherapy services is massive and we are using the latest technology to ensure that this is delivered as impactfully as possible.