Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) financial support and (b) other resources his Department has provided to Cancer Alliances for long-term planning for breast cancer care.

NHS England provides funding, support and guidance to Cancer Alliances to ensure the delivery of improvements in early and faster diagnosis and quality of life for people living with and beyond cancer, including breast cancer patients.

For this year, all Cancer Alliances have agreed plans in place for using transformation funding, focused on the delivery of NHS England’s 2018/19 Planning Guidance priorities. As part of these plans, Alliances will:

- progress towards the 2020/21 ambition for all breast cancer patients to move to a stratified follow-up pathway after treatment; and

- have in place clinically agreed protocols for stratifying breast cancer patients and a system for remote monitoring by the end of 2018/19.

In addition to transformation funding, support that all Cancer Alliances will receive in 2018/19 to transform care for their cancer patients includes:

- dedicated support from the National Cancer Programme’s analysis, evidence and data service;

- support and assurance from NHS England regional offices;

- a tailored programme of leadership development; and

- a series of national events to share best practice and information across Cancer Alliances.

More information about the levels of transformation funding received by each Cancer Alliance in 2018/19, and how they are using this to improve cancer care, can be found on NHS England’s website at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/cancer/improve/cancer-alliances-improving-care-locally/nhs-england-support-and-funding-for-cancer-alliances/