Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce resource disparities among NHS Trusts for cancer (a) care and (b) treatment.

A £70 million investment in new radiotherapy machines will ensure that the most advanced treatment is available and accessible to patients. The National Health Service will also maximise the pace of the roll-out of the additional diagnostic capacity, delivering the final year of the three-year investment plan for establishing community diagnostic centres, with capacity prioritised for cancer.

The National Cancer Audit Collaborating Centre is currently undertaking a range of audits which provide timely evidence for cancer service providers of where patterns of care in England may vary. This will enable the NHS to understand where to increase the consistency of access to treatments and help stimulate improvements in cancer treatment and outcomes for patients.

The Government recognises that a cancer-specific approach is needed to meet the challenges in cancer care, and to improve outcomes for people living with cancer. Following publication of the 10-Year Health Plan, we will publish a new National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients. We will continue to ensure that we train the staff we need to ensure patients are cared for by the right professional, when and where they need it, and the cancer plan will reflect this.

The Department will also refresh the Long Term Workforce Plan to deliver the transformed health service we will build over the next decade, so the NHS has the staff it needs to treat patients on time again.