Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve access to clinical trials for patients with pancreatic cancer by ensuring that eligible patients are automatically identified and referred to appropriate clinical trials; increase access to personalised treatment through routine tumour profiling and testing, where clinically appropriate; and increase funding for pancreatic cancer research, including the development of new treatments and the expansion of clinical trials, to improve survival outcomes for patients with pancreatic cancer.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with pancreatic cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.
The National Cancer Plan sets out the Government’s ambition to deliver world class cancer care through world class research, including delivering breakthroughs for rare and less survivable cancers. Throughout the lifetime of this plan, we will ensure that every cancer patient gets the opportunity to access relevant clinical trials quickly, fairly, and easily.
As set out in this plan, the Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act 2026, including Section 3 of the act which will involve developing a service to ensure rare cancer patients, including those with pancreatic cancer, can be automatically contacted about clinical trials. Implementing the provisions of the Rare Cancers Act will make it easier for clinical trials on pancreatic cancer to take place in England.
The plan also sets out clear actions to expand genomic testing, sometimes referred to as tumour profiling, and confirms that every cancer patient who would benefit from genomic testing, including those with rare cancers like pancreatic cancer, will receive it within a clinically relevant timeframe. The plan also commits to ensuring this is matched by access to targeted therapies.
To support timely access to treatments identified through genomic testing, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) aligned pathway process was launched in April 2026. The process accelerates licensing and appraisal so that National Health Service funding recommendations can be made more quickly. The expansion of the NHS Genomic Medicine Service will also help identify suitable targeted therapies, connect patients to clinical trials faster, and integrate genomic data into the Single Patient Record by 2028.
Government responsibility for delivering cancer research is shared between the Department of Health and Social Care, with research delivered by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, with research delivered via UK Research and Innovation, including the Medical Research Council.
The NIHR continues to welcome high-quality applications for research into any aspect of human health and care, including pancreatic cancer.
As well as funding research itself, the Department of Health and Social Care invests significantly in research expertise and capacity, specialist facilities, support services, and collaborations to support and deliver research in England, known as NIHR infrastructure. One example of this is the CRISTAL-APC trial to improve treatment for people living with stage four pancreatic cancer, supported by the NIHR's Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre and Clinical Research Facility.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the new framework for the commissioning and funding of hospice services by integrated care boards will be published; and whether it will be in force before 1 April 2027.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
The Government is developing a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care, and published an interim update on 4 June 2026 in the form of a Written Ministerial Statement, which is available at the following link:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-06-04/hcws88
The final MSF is due to be published in Autumn 2026 and will embed palliative care and end-of-life care within a strategic commissioning model centred on clear and transparent contractual arrangements for commissioned palliative care activity across all providers, including hospices, to meet population health needs, with explicit regard to reducing inequalities and improving outcomes for underserved and disadvantaged groups.
Work to implement the MSF is already underway. A letter from NHS England’s National Director for Primary Care and Community Services has been issued to systems asking integrated care boards to undertake integrated needs assessments and move towards the sustainable contracting of hospice services. Initially, this will involve moving away from short-term grant funding for adult hospice services from 2027/28. NHS England’s letter is available at the following link:
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department will reimburse hospices in England for the increase in employer National Insurance contributions introduced in April 2025.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Secretary of State for Wales
The Department has no plans to reimburse hospices in England for the increase in employer National Insurance contributions (ENICs) introduced in April 2025. The planning guidance, published on 30 January 2025, sets out the funding available to integrated care boards (ICBs) and the overall approach to funding providers in this financial year. The planning guidance is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/2025-26-priorities-and-operational-planning-guidance/
It takes into account a variety of pay and non-pay factors and pressures on providers of secondary healthcare, including charitable hospices.
Our approach to ENICs exemptions has been consistent with the approach taken by previous administrations. This does not include an exemption for independent contractors, including charities like hospices.
We recognise the financial pressures facing hospices, including those arising from increases in employment costs. That is why the Government has supported the hospice sector with a £125 million capital funding boost for adult and children and young people’s hospices in England, and is providing approximately £80 million in revenue funding for children and young people’s hospices over the three financial years 2026/27 to 2028/29.