Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what funding has her Department allocated to provide recovery spaces for families of cancer treatment patients.

The Government is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care, and plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer treatment, which encompasses recovery spaces. Additionally, and as outlined in the 2024/25 NHS England Planning Guidance, NHS England are providing over £266 million in cancer service development funding to Cancer Alliances, to support delivery of the operational priorities for cancer.

The Department and NHS England meet regularly to discuss a wide range of issues regarding cancer. The Department's ministers and officials also frequently meet with key stakeholders within the cancer community, including discussions on support for patients and their families. As stated in the NHS Long Term Plan for Cancer, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information, and support. NHS England provides personalised cancer care and support plans, to support both patients and their families at all stages of their cancer journey. This is being delivered in line with the NHS Comprehensive Model for Personalised Care, empowering people to manage their care and the impact of their cancer, and maximise the potential of digital and community-based support. NHS England estimates that approximately 80% of cancer multidisciplinary teams are now offering Personalised Care and Support Planning, ensuring physical, practical, emotional, and social needs are identified and addressed at all stages of the cancer pathway. Additionally, Personalised Stratified Follow Up pathways, which adapt care to the needs of individual patients after cancer treatment, are being rolled out by cancer multi-disciplinary teams, and are required for at least eight cancer types by 2023/24.

General practice surgeries also conduct cancer care reviews at regular intervals after cancer diagnosis, to offer support with any needs patients may have. This includes providing access to other specialist-led services who work alongside patients’ medical teams, to support patients and their families, such as counsellors, rehabilitation specialists, or social prescribers, who can connect you to community groups or services for more support. This is part of NHS England’s drive to universal personalised care that will see at least 2.5 million people benefiting from personalised care by 2023/24.

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring the healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for cancer patients. NHS England provide access to a personal health budget, which is an amount of NHS money that is allocated to support the health and wellbeing needs of a patient if eligible. More information is available at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/what-is-a-personal-health-budget/