Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all patients needing radiotherapy treatment have access to a treatment centre within the recommended 45-minute travel time.

There is no limit on the distance that would be required for someone to receive cancer treatment. Specialised services are not available in every local hospital because they need to be delivered by specialist teams of health professionals who have the necessary skills, experience and access to equipment and medicines.

Patient-specific requirements are based on what each individual could manage and cope with and would be discussed between the patient and clinician.

Patients travelling for cancer treatment via NHS Patient Transport Services (PTS) are exempt from any eligibility checks (both on medical and mobility grounds) and are automatically deemed PTS "eligible" for both the inbound and outbound journeys as frequently as these are required, which has been the case for some years now.