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 ensure that the cancer recovery package meets the needs of people with blood cancer.

The Recovery Package is designed to help patients and clinicians assess a patient’s holistic needs and plan appropriately for their care and support. It includes a Holistic Needs Assessment (HNA) and Care Plan. This guides a conversation about the person’s holistic needs (physical, psychosocial, financial and social) in order to identify any concerns. An HNA should take place within 31 days of diagnosis and at the end of each acute phase of treatment and the Care Plan updated each time. The Recovery Package is being commissioned and delivered in full or in part by many clinical commissioning groups and providers across England. Our aim now is to accelerate the process, to ensure full implementation by 2020 - available to all cancer patients.