Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people with cancer have been offered a holistic needs assessment (HNA); and what steps he has taken to ensure that patients’ needs are met following an HNA.

Across England, as of December 2019 at least 96% of trusts offered Holistic Needs Assessments to all breast cancer patients, 93% for prostate and 92% for colorectal. The figures were estimated to be similarly high for other cancer types. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, trusts are not currently required to submit data to Public Health England on number of Holistic Needs Assessments offered, so we do not have more recent data.

A Holistic Needs Assessment should lead to a personalised care and support plan being agreed between the patient and their health professional. This plan is designed to ensure the person’s holistic needs are being met, which may be through referral to other services, signposting to sources of support, or advice and information about the person’s concerns and how they might self-manage any issues.