Rehman Chishti
Main Page: Rehman Chishti (Conservative - Gillingham and Rainham)Department Debates - View all Rehman Chishti's debates with the Department of Health and Social Care
(14 years, 1 month ago)
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Rehman Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham) (Con)
It is a pleasure to speak under your chairmanship, Mr Robertson. I thank and congratulate the hon. Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr Leech) on securing this debate on such an important and sensitive issue. Applying the basic principle that brevity is a virtue, not a vice, I shall keep my submission short. I place on the record my thanks to organisations such as Macmillan Cancer Support, which have been very helpful in providing information for me to consider and base my submission on.
My first point is that representations have been made to me that people who suffer from rarer forms of cancer should be given priority in the Government’s proposals for the new drugs fund, on the basis that they are the ones who are the most disadvantaged by the current NICE drug appraisal system.
Secondly, the services available through the clinical nurse specialist system are very unlikely to be given to people with rarer forms of cancer. I urge the Minister to consider extending that system and ensuring that people with rarer forms of cancer have access to it. That is especially important because new research shows that clinical nurse specialists save the NHS money by co-ordinating services more effectively, along with significantly improving the patient experience and outcomes.
Thirdly, I seek an assurance from the Minister that the full maximum of the money allocated in the coalition agreement to the cancer drugs fund will be available. It is vital that we ensure that people who need those drugs get them at the earliest opportunity.