Cancer Strategy for England

Claire Young Excerpts

Thursday 31st October 2024 Westminster Hall

[Claire Young (Thornbury and Yate) (LD)]

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Betts. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) for securing the debate. Some 2.2 million people are expected to be diagnosed with cancer during this Parliament, and almost one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetimes, so we should all be concerned about the crisis in cancer care that was highlighted by the Darzi report.

In my constituency of Thornbury and Yate, just over half of cancer cases are diagnosed early—that is around 2,500 people a year—but just over two thirds of those diagnosed are able to start treatment within two months after being referred. That is far lower than the 85% NHS target. This Government have promised to do more to tackle the delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment, and I think a specific cancer strategy is the way to achieve that. I will illustrate that with two examples from my constituency.

The first constituent suffers from a rare cancer condition and sought treatment at Cheltenham general hospital, where they received immunotherapy treatment. However, they have since been informed that their treatment will cease on 31 January 2025, due to financial considerations. It simply is not acceptable to have a situation in which a patient is told that they need a particular treatment and then has it halted part way through, not because it needed to stop for their own best interests but because of financial constraints. That is absolutely appalling, and it is a glaring example of where the system is failing. Everyone who has cancer deserves timely and consistent treatment. That is the first thing I highlight for Ministers: when they are looking at producing a cancer strategy, will they look at the treatment and how it is delivered, to make sure that decisions are being made in the best interests of patients, rather than the accountants?

My second example shows how early treatment can save lives. This constituent told me how, in 2021, they were diagnosed with cancer in their eyes. They are one of the lucky ones: it was caught early by their optician and they got an urgent referral. Because they got treatment quickly, they are still cancer-free today. However, it is fair to say that they are not out of the woods; there is a high chance of recurrence and possible metastasisation in the coming years. They told me how that is hanging over their head every day, and made the point that one small change could have meant that, instead of living their life, they would no longer be with us.

That shows exactly why identifying and treating cancer as early as possible is vital. It highlights, in particular, the importance of professionals who are not specialists in cancer but play vital roles in identifying possible signs of cancer at the early stage. There are probably people up and down the country who can give examples of how pharmacists, opticians, dentists and so forth have been the ones who set them on the road to that all-important diagnosis. As we know from other debates in Parliament, all those professions are under strain. We know that people cannot get dental appointments, yet we know how important that is for identifying oral cancers. As I raised in the Chamber this morning, we also know about the issue of pressures on community pharmacists. When the strategy is drawn up, will Ministers look at the importance of non-cancer specialists in referring people for diagnosis, and ensure that that forms part of the strategy?

My hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham identified Denmark as a good example of a country that had been where this country is, but has managed to race ahead. The point is that it had a series of cancer strategies. Reference has been made to delays, or to the idea that we should make this part of a wider strategy. Let us get something done, as a starting point, and then it can be an iterative process. The strategy can be looked at again, and gradually we can make the improvements we need.

A dedicated cancer strategy would complement the Government’s 10-year health plan by offering a clear road map for an integrated approach to improving outcomes across cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, research and care. That is why we need a dedicated cancer strategy and a wholesale review of the system, to ensure that everyone gets an early diagnosis and the treatment that they need, when they need it, and are fully supported in their journey with cancer.