Blood Cancer
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to implement the recommendations of Blood Cancer UK's Action Plan.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancer, as quickly as possible to treat it faster and to improve outcomes. This is supported by NHS England’s key ambition on cancer to meet the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which sets a target of 28 days from urgent referral by a general practitioner or screening programme to patients being told that they have cancer, or that cancer is ruled out.
The Department is committed to implementing the recommendations of the Lord O'Shaughnessy review into commercial clinical trials making sure that the United Kingdom leads the world in clinical trials, and to ensure that innovative, lifesaving treatments are accessible to NHS patients, including those with blood cancer.
Professor Lord Darzi has undertaken an independent investigation into the state of the NHS, the findings of which will feed into the Government’s 10-year plan to build a health service that is fit for the future. The Government will therefore set out any further priorities on cancer and health in due course.
I would be happy to meet the Hon. member to discuss the Blood Cancer UK Action Plan.
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