Breast Cancer

(asked on 14th July 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which health trusts in England provide breast cancer patients with a clinical nurse specialist.


Answered by
Dan Poulter Portrait
Dan Poulter
This question was answered on 21st July 2014

Information on which health trusts in England provide breast cancer patients with a clinical nurse specialist is available from the National Peer Review Programme, which is a quality assurance programme managed by NHS England for the National Health Service and is in the attached table.

The Government has supported the development of a range of specialist roles within nursing. Specialist nurses provide invaluable support for people with cancer and their families. They are able to provide specialist treatment and advice and act as a gateway to other members of the multidisciplinary team, which improves care and outcomes.

Through the Mandate, we have asked NHS England to deliver continued improvements in relation to the experience of care, including cancer care. It is for local NHS organisations with their knowledge of the healthcare needs of their local population to invest in training for specialist skills and to deploy specialist nurses.

In the latest Cancer Patient Experience Survey (2013), 88% of patients reported being given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist. We want every cancer patient to have access to appropriate care, support and information – but this must be affordable and sustainable for the NHS. That is why it remains for local organisations to decide whether to invest in new one to one support roles.

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