Nov. 28 2023
Source Page: Clinical Impact Awards 2022: personal statementsFound: I have achieved this by introducing advanced diagnostics, transitioning to minimally invasive robotic
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
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 increase public awareness of minimally invasive cancer therapies.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department and NHS do not normally undertake public awareness campaigns on treatments and therapies. This is because cancer patients will often have a range of treatment choices available to them and it is important that informed decisions are taken by each patient, in consultation with their treating clinician, following the advice of multi-disciplinary teams that are experts in the management of cancer.
Instead, the Department and the NHS’s focus is on early diagnosis, including raising awareness of cancer symptoms and encouraging people to come forward through public awareness campaigns such as ‘Help us, help you’. By encouraging earlier diagnosis, cancer patients will have a wider range of treatment options available to consider, including minimally invasive therapies where appropriate.
The adoption of new treatments, including minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the NHS in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and/or commissioner decisions. For treatments that form part of a prescribed specialised or highly specialised service, NHS England’s specialised commissioning function is responsible for putting in place access. For treatments that are not part of a prescribed specialised service, the responsibility sits with integrated care boards (ICBs). Both NHS England and ICBs are required to put in place access for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by NICE. Pharmaceutical companies are also able to accelerate access to new treatments and technologies through schemes like the Early Access to Medicines Scheme, Project Orbis or The Innovative Licensing and Access Pathway, enabling patients to benefit from innovative treatments quickly.
Looking ahead, from April 2024, ICBs will become the responsible commissioner for a number of specialised services and will want to work with and through local Cancer Alliances to plan and organise access to care that meets national standards. By integrating the commissioning of specialised and non-specialised services, ICBs will be able to join-up care around patient needs and invest in resources where they can have best effect on outcomes.
Mentions:
1: Lord Markham (Con - Life peer) This will save thousands of lives and prevent thousands more people suffering from cancer. - Speech Link
2: Lord Bishop of London (Bshp - Bishops) The General Synod of the Church of England voted to call on the Government to ban conversion therapies - Speech Link
3: Baroness Walmsley (LD - Life peer) cancer, et cetera, but what is needed is widespread access to treatment. - Speech Link
4: Lord Lexden (Con - Life peer) Drug therapies can reduce the rates of refracture by up to 90% for the most common fractures.Both business - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Will Quince (Con - Colchester) that we are getting it right as we develop the strategy.I would also like to touch on gene and cell therapies - Speech Link
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 increase the availability of non-invasive cancer treatment technologies in the NHS.
Answered by Will Quince
The adoption of new treatments, including increasing the number of minimally invasive cancer treatments, into the National Health Service in England is generally the result of National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and commissioner decisions. Both NHS England and integrated care boards (ICBs) are required to put in place access for any treatment that carries a positive recommendation from the Technology Appraisal programme, operated by NICE.
Where treatments are approved by NICE through the Technology Appraisals programme, the NHS is required to make them available within agreed timescales, which vary by technology. Implementation of any NICE approvals will be supported by the service readiness assessment and the development of additional capacity where necessary.
The NHS continues to increase investment in minimally invasive cancer therapies and radiotherapy and chemotherapy services. Since April 2022, the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has sat with local systems. This is supported by the 2021 Spending Review, which set aside £12 billion in operational capital for the NHS from 2022 to 2025.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department has provided to NHS trusts to help ensure that non-invasive cancer treatments take place before patients’ conditions worsen.
Answered by Will Quince
The National Health Service continues to increase investment in minimally invasive cancer therapies and radiotherapy and chemotherapy services. Since April 2022, the responsibility for investing in new radiotherapy machines has sat with local systems. This is supported by the 2021 Spending Review, which set aside £12 billion in operational capital for the NHS from 2022 to 2025.
In the 2023/24 Operational Planning Guidance, NHS England announced that it is providing over £390 million in cancer service development funding to Cancer Alliances in each of the next two years to support delivery of the strategy and the operational priorities for cancer, which includes increasing and prioritising diagnostic and treatment capacity for cancer.
Jul. 20 2023
Source Page: Non-technical summaries granted in 2023Found: Most of the imaging methods used are either non-invasive or minimally invasive.
Jul. 20 2023
Source Page: Non-technical summaries granted in 2023Found: The project is about optimising animal experience and the sampling techniques used are minimally invasive
Oral Evidence Jul. 19 2023
Inquiry: Future cancerFound: cancer is likely to be located.
Jul. 05 2023
Source Page: I. Letter dated 30/06/2023 from Steve Barclay MP to all MP The NHS Long Term Plan. 2p. II. NHS Long Term Workforce Plan. 151p.Found: moving planned care from overnight stays to day -case settings, with surgical techniques becoming less invasive