Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment services for bowel cancer at Stepping Hill hospital.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No specific assessment has been made of the adequacy of diagnosis and treatment services for bowel cancer at Stepping Hill Hospital. However, data held at the provider level can give us insight into lower gastrointestinal (GI) cancer for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust. Of those patients referred to Stockport NHS Foundation Trust for suspected lower GI cancer in February 2024, 86.1% received a diagnosis or ruling out of cancer within 28 days. This is above the 75.0% standard, and shows an increase of 4.2% since January. Furthermore, of those patients referred to Stockport NHS Foundation Trust for lower GI cancer in February 2024, 95.2% received a first or subsequent treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat. This is above national performance of 91.1%, against the standard of 96.0%. For lower GI cancer in the same period, 67.4% of patients received treatment within 62 days of an urgent suspected cancer or screening referral, or consultant upgrade, to a first definitive treatment for cancer. This is above national performance of 63.9% against the standard of 85.0%.
Apr. 29 2024
Source Page: Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paperFound: • Highest overall award rates are seen for conditions including Cancer, Autistic Spectrum Disorders
Apr. 29 2024
Source Page: Modernising support for independent living: the health and disability green paperFound: This includes: - Psychotic Disorders - Cancer - Skin Diseases - Chronic Pain Syndromes - Gastrointestinal
Apr. 29 2024
Source Page: Letters and medicine recalls sent to healthcare professionals in March 2024Found: prescribers seek alternative treatment options for newly identified metastatic non-small cell lung cancer
Apr. 29 2024
Source Page: Scottish Government call for evidence: tackling consumption of single-use food containers and other commonly littered or problematic single-use items - summary of responsesFound: Link 119Cancer Intelligence Team: Cancer Research UK (2020).
Mentions:
1: David Davis (Con - Haltemprice and Howden) Some time ago—a long time ago—my mother died of brain and lung cancer in considerable agony, pain and - Speech Link
2: Jim Shannon (DUP - Strangford) Gentleman for his intervention, but I will give him the example of a lady over 70 who has cancer and - Speech Link
3: Lia Nici (Con - Great Grimsby) Debbie had terminal cancer; tumours meant that she could not swallow or digest food any more. - Speech Link
4: Jane Hunt (Con - Loughborough) Having been diagnosed with bowel cancer last year, I know that doctors already provide an option. - Speech Link
Asked by: Gulhane, Sandesh (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Glasgow)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government at what stages of the process there are the longest delays in cancer (a) diagnosis and (b) treatment, and what steps it is taking to tackle any such delays.
Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care
The Scottish Government does not hold information on waiting times for each step of a patient’s cancer pathway. The most recently published Cancer Waiting Times data can be found here: Cancer waiting times - 1 October to 31 December 2023 - Cancer waiting times - Publications - Public Health Scotland
Our NHS remains under pressure, which is reflected in the fact that we're treating more patients on 62- and 31-day pathways than before the Covid-19 pandemic. We’re also treating more patients with cancer on time, within both standards, compared to pre-pandemic and 10 years ago. Despite this, there will always be instances where some patients wait longer depending on their health, complexity of disease and agreed treatment plan.
Scottish Government officials continue to engage with Health Boards’ Cancer Management Teams frequently to identify challenges, explore solutions and spread best practice.
To support efforts to reduce cancer waiting times, £11.3 million of non-recurring Cancer Waiting Times funding has been made available in 2023/24 across NHS Scotland. The majority of funding is being directed to urology, colorectal and breast – the three most challenged tumour types and NHS Boards have agreed performance improvement plans in place to ensure cancer cases continue to be prioritised.
The Scottish Government also published our ten year Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 along with an initial three year Cancer Action Plan ( Cancer Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026 ) in June 2023.
Over the next 10 years, our strategic aim is to improve cancer survival and provide excellent, equitably accessible care. The Strategy and Plan take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care, and have people living with cancer, their families and carers at their very heart.
Apr. 29 2024
Source Page: Finasteride: review of safety data and expert advice on management of risksFound: chest area or discharge from your nipples – these may be signs of a serious condition such as breast cancer
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 increase the availability of treatment for glioma on the NHS.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates all new licensed medicines, including medicines for glioma, to determine whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NICE aims to publish guidance on new medicines as close as possible to licensing. Any medicine for glioma, recommended in draft NICE guidance, will be eligible for funding through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point a positive draft guidance is published, in line with the standard arrangements for cancer medicines.
On 24 April 2024, the NICE published draft guidance recommending a new treatment for glioma in children and young people that will be available to eligible patients once supply of the treatment is available.
There are currently no licensed dendritic cell therapies for glioma. A number of dendritic cell therapies are in development for the treatment of glioma, and any new licensed and NICE recommended treatments would be funded by NHS England, in line with NICE’s recommendations.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to provide dendric cell therapy for glioma.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) evaluates all new licensed medicines, including medicines for glioma, to determine whether they represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources. The NICE aims to publish guidance on new medicines as close as possible to licensing. Any medicine for glioma, recommended in draft NICE guidance, will be eligible for funding through the Cancer Drugs Fund from the point a positive draft guidance is published, in line with the standard arrangements for cancer medicines.
On 24 April 2024, the NICE published draft guidance recommending a new treatment for glioma in children and young people that will be available to eligible patients once supply of the treatment is available.
There are currently no licensed dendritic cell therapies for glioma. A number of dendritic cell therapies are in development for the treatment of glioma, and any new licensed and NICE recommended treatments would be funded by NHS England, in line with NICE’s recommendations.