Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer can access high-quality mental health and wellbeing support.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England have asked Cancer Alliances to map out and identify any gaps in psychosocial support provision as part of the 2022/23 planning guidance and are supporting adults experiencing cancer with access to Adult Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme mental health services, which provide evidence based psychological therapies for people with anxiety disorders and depression.

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 ensure that blood cancer patients can access mental health support in (a) Enfield, Southgate constituency and (b) England.

Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The NHS Long Term Plan states that, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including a needs assessment, an individual care plan and information and support for their health and wellbeing.

The National Health Service is supporting adults experiencing cancer with access to The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) mental health services, which provides evidence based psychological therapies for people with anxiety disorders and depression.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of mental health support for young people who receive a cancer diagnosis.

Answered by James Morris

While no recent assessment has been made, NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked Cancer Alliances to review mental health provision for those affected by cancer, including young people.

The NHS Long Term Plan states that, where appropriate, all those diagnosed with cancer should receive a personalised care and support plan. Teenage and young adult cancer services are responsible for ensuring access to specialist psychological and appropriate psycho-social support for patients during cancer therapy and follow up care.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has taken steps to improve training for NHS professionals providing emotional and psychological support for (a) solid tumour cancer patients and (b) blood cancer patients.

Answered by James Morris

Health Education England is developing a career framework for cancer nurses and allied health professionals, which will include training in emotional and psychological support. In addition, a project to establish training standards and job roles for cancer support workers will also include training in the knowledge of cancer, cancer treatments and the potential short and long term effects and enhanced communication and psychological skills to support patients, including those with solid tumours and blood cancer.

No specific assessment has been made of the provision of psychological support for blood cancer patients. However, NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked Cancer Alliances to review mental health provision for these patients through its 2022/23 planning guidance. Access to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies long term condition pathways have been identified as a priority to support integration of mental health and physical health services for patients with co-morbid long-term conditions, such as cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the provision of psychological support for blood cancer patients across England; and what plans he has to address regional disparities in that provision.

Answered by James Morris

Health Education England is developing a career framework for cancer nurses and allied health professionals, which will include training in emotional and psychological support. In addition, a project to establish training standards and job roles for cancer support workers will also include training in the knowledge of cancer, cancer treatments and the potential short and long term effects and enhanced communication and psychological skills to support patients, including those with solid tumours and blood cancer.

No specific assessment has been made of the provision of psychological support for blood cancer patients. However, NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked Cancer Alliances to review mental health provision for these patients through its 2022/23 planning guidance. Access to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies long term condition pathways have been identified as a priority to support integration of mental health and physical health services for patients with co-morbid long-term conditions, such as cancer.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of adequacy of the current national provision of teenage and young adult psycho-oncology.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The National Health Service Long Term Plan states that where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer should receive a Personalised Care and Support Plan. All patients, including young cancer patients, will have access to the right expertise and support.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, all personalised care and support has continued by telephone, video, online or by post if face-to-face appointments and group sessions have not been possible.

NHS England and Improvement established a Task and Finish group chaired by Prof Peter Johnson, the National Clinical Director for Cancer, to look at COVID-19 recovery of psychosocial support for people affected by cancer, including psycho-oncology provision. The group included representation from teenage/young adult cancer charities.

The revised Cancer Care Review requirements for GP practices mean patients’ psychosocial support needs will be assessed twice in their first year after diagnosis. This requirement encourages GP practices to have early and supportive conversations with cancer patients about their needs and ensure patients are aware of what help is available.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2021 to Question 12276 on Cancer: Mental Health Services, what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which patients’ psychosocial support needs are being addressed twice in their first year after diagnosis, as is required by the 2021-22 Quality and Outcomes Framework cancer requirements since the start of the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

No data is yet available on the proportion of practices meeting Quality and Outcomes Framework requirements in 2021/22.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have established a task and finish group to review psychosocial support for people affected by cancer. The NHS Long Term Plan states that where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer should receive a Personalised Care and Support Plan based on holistic needs assessment, end of treatment summaries and health and wellbeing information and support, including for mental health needs.

Those with long term conditions, such as cancer, have been identified as priority patients for accessing Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services, which are being integrated with physical health services, to better align psychological therapies within primary and secondary care pathways.