Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Twelfth Report - Cancer services
Health and Social Care Committee
HC 551
Published 5 April 2022
Recommendations
4
Para 52
The Government should implement the recommendations of Professor Sir Mike Richards’ review of cancer screening...
Recommendation
The Government should implement the recommendations of Professor Sir Mike Richards’ review of cancer screening as a priority and ensure that there is a clear plan in place to rapidly conduct appointments missed during the pandemic.
Department of Health and Social Care
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14
Para 88
Based on these estimates the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England should...
Recommendation
Based on these estimates the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England should set out: a) an estimate of what level of additional capacity in NHS cancer services will be needed to address the backlog in cancer services …
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Department of Health and Social Care
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16
Para 96
As part of its new cancer plan, the Government should include a plan for how...
Recommendation
As part of its new cancer plan, the Government should include a plan for how to better align the technology appraisals carried out by NICE with the regulatory process applied by the MHRA, in order to reduce the delay between …
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Department of Health and Social Care
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20
Para 109
As part of the Government’s new cancer plan, the Government and NHS England should review...
Recommendation
As part of the Government’s new cancer plan, the Government and NHS England should review the organisation of cancer surgery with a specific focus on whether more specialist hospitals should be established to ensure that more cancer surgery is carried …
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Department of Health and Social Care
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24
Para 129
Cancer Alliances must reflect on new data provided to them by NHS England and the...
Recommendation
Cancer Alliances must reflect on new data provided to them by NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care about cancer outcomes by ethnicity in their areas. In particular they should review the care provided to people from …
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Department of Health and Social Care
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25
Para 130
The new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities should review the drivers of disparities in...
Recommendation
The new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities should review the drivers of disparities in cancer outcomes and develop a joint strategy with NHS England to address these disparities.
Department of Health and Social Care
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27
The Government must consider rare, less common and less survivable cancers specifically as part of...
Recommendation
The Government must consider rare, less common and less survivable cancers specifically as part of its new cancer plan. NHS England should also produce an action plan for rare, less common and less survivable cancers, containing clear commitments to address …
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Department of Health and Social Care
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29
Para 148
The Government should set out how it will build on the lessons learnt during the...
Recommendation
The Government should set out how it will build on the lessons learnt during the pandemic by making it easier for researchers to: a) access vital patient data; b) access staff needed for their studies, by providing more protected time …
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Department of Health and Social Care
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30
The Government should also establish a ring-fenced fund for cancer research infrastructure targeted at NHS...
Recommendation
The Government should also establish a ring-fenced fund for cancer research infrastructure targeted at NHS trusts which have historically low levels of research activity. (Paragraph 149) 46 Cancer services
Department of Health and Social Care
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Conclusions (21)
1
Conclusion
Para 43
We welcome the development of Rapid Diagnostic Centres and Community Diagnostic Centres, particularly in giving GPs more effective referral routes for possible cancer symptoms, especially those which are non-specific but concerning. However, we have heard differing accounts about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the development of Rapid Diagnostic …
2
Conclusion
Para 46
NHS England has been focusing on encouraging people to come forward with cancer symptoms during the pandemic, which is welcome, and has recently launched a marketing campaign to encourage people to overcome their reluctance to visit their GP to discuss symptoms. However, NHS England should continue to use marketing campaigns …
3
Conclusion
Para 51
Cancer screening is a vital tool for early diagnosis, but even before the pandemic there were serious concerns about the effectiveness of national cancer screening services, particularly over IT systems and the speed at which innovations have been implemented. New programmes like the Lung Health Check programme offer some reason …
5
Conclusion
Para 61
We understand the rationale for simplifying the Cancer Waiting Times standards. It is important that NHS cancer services are given a clear set of targets to achieve and that these targets are the ones that are most important to patients. However, we note that there are no current plans to …
6
Conclusion
The Government’s recent announcement of a £2.3 billion investment in 100 new Community Diagnostic Centres is welcome and could provide a significant increase in physical diagnostic capacity. However, it is not yet clear how much additional capacity this investment will yield and whether it will allow England to catch up …
7
Conclusion
Para 63
The Government and NHS England must set out detailed plans for how the £2.3 billion investment in Community Diagnostic Centres will be utilised, in particular detailing how many additional CT, MRI and PET-CT scanners and endoscopy suites the investment will provide.
8
Conclusion
Para 64
The Government and NHS England must also develop a specific plan to address gaps in the diagnostic workforce, setting out how it will address both short-term and long- term shortages in key professions, and particularly what investment will be required to deliver sustainable long-term increases in these key professions.
9
Conclusion
Para 70
There is huge potential in NHS cancer data, and a large amount of data from NHS cancer services is already collected and reported. However, there is significant room for improvement, particularly in reducing the two years it takes to collect and publish data on cancer stage. A major overhaul of …
10
Conclusion
Para 71
Notwithstanding the lag on published data, on the basis of evidence supplied by the Government and the NHS, and Cancer Research UK’s analysis, we do not believe that the NHS is on track to meet the 75% early diagnosis ambition set by the Government. It is clear that there is …
11
Conclusion
The static trajectory in early diagnosis demands that the Government’s new plan for cancer services must include a clear action plan for achieving the 75% early diagnosis ambition which goes beyond current plans and considers much more radical proposals to kickstart progress. (Paragraph 72) Access to treatments
12
Conclusion
Para 86
We recognise that the disruption to cancer services during the pandemic was primarily driven by the need to mitigate the risk posed by Covid-19 to patients undergoing cancer treatment. We also recognise the efforts made by the NHS to maintain treatment or offer alternative treatment options. Nonetheless, we remain extremely …
13
Conclusion
Para 87
The Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England must publish a detailed analysis of the extent of the cancer backlog to support the delivery of the elective care recovery plan. The Department should work with NHS England to set out: a) the latest estimate for how many fewer …
15
Conclusion
Para 95
For patients with limited treatment options the approval of a new drug or therapy can make a significant difference even when the survival benefit is only months. Despite the effectiveness of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s regulatory process, and despite some progress by NICE in approving medicines more …
17
Conclusion
Para 101
The Government and the NHS have recognised some of the issues with radiotherapy delivery in the NHS and have made welcome commitments to resolve these, such as investing in new radiotherapy machines and the proton beam centres in Manchester and London. However, it is clear that there are still significant …
18
Conclusion
Para 102
The Government’s new cancer plan should provide an update to the 2014 radiotherapy vision which should include a long-term rolling investment programme for outdated radiotherapy equipment as well as changes to the national radiotherapy tariff to incentivise the delivery of modern radiotherapy techniques and remove perverse incentives.
19
Conclusion
Para 108
Major specialist cancer hospitals have better access to staff, expertise and technology, and patients referred to these sites are more likely to be offered potentially life- saving surgery. During the pandemic, these hospitals were the ones most likely to be able to continue treatment, perpetuating regional disparities. Creating more of …
21
Conclusion
As part of the long-term plan for the cancer workforce, the Government and NHS England should develop specific proposals for improving the retention of experienced cancer staff, including targeting burnout and improving the day-to-day working conditions of staff. (Paragraph 115) Variation
22
Conclusion
Para 127
Cancer Alliances have had a positive impact on transforming cancer services and sharing best practice, and enjoy strong support from the sector. However, it is clear that while they are having some success, there is still significant unwarranted variation across regions in England and that the ability of Cancer Alliances …
23
Conclusion
Para 128
To support Cancer Alliances to embed transformation into local cancer services, new Integrated Care Systems must be required to appoint cancer leads, with responsibility for working directly with Alliances to embed best practice into their own systems. Cancer performance should also be Ofsted-rated by Integrated Care Boards as a sub- …
26
Conclusion
There are specific challenges facing people with rare and less common and less survivable cancers, including that they are often harder to diagnose and that issues with spreading best practice for treating less common cancers are more pronounced. Despite some positive changes such as Rapid Diagnostic Centres, it is not …
28
Conclusion
Para 147
The impact of Covid-19 on cancer research was significant and it is concerning that trial recruitment has not yet reached pre-pandemic levels. However, the pandemic has provided a model for how cancer research can be conducted more efficiently, in more hospitals, to bring greater benefits to patients.