NHS Funding (Hansard, 22 April 1998)

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any of the increased funding for the NHS announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget speech will be made available to those hospitals specialising in the treatment of cancer.

§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)
My Lords, the Budget speech announced an extra £500 million for the National Health Service for 1998–99. Of the £417 million for England, £320 million will be targeted directly at cutting waiting lists. All health authorities and, in their turn, all hospital trusts will be set targets for reducing their waiting lists by 31st March 1999. That will clearly include hospitals specialising in the treatment of cancer. In addition, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health announced earlier this week that £10 million of the additional funds made available in the Budget is to be used specifically to reduce colorectal cancer waiting times.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that helpful Answer. I express, I think on behalf of most people, appreciation that the funding has been found. However, is the Minister aware that the Christie hospital in Manchester, the largest in Europe, has an increasing workload and cannot manage on its existing finance? I know that the Secretary of State gave an instruction that there should be a meeting with the 1150 north-western regional health authority to discuss the matter. I visited the hospital only last Friday. There is disappointment there that no such meeting has been arranged. The chief executive of the north-western regional health authority is saying that it is difficult to get all those involved together. What an excuse that is to give to people waiting for cancer treatment when telling them that they cannot be slotted in—namely, that a meeting cannot be arranged. If it is beyond the wit of those involved to arrange a meeting quickly, as ordered by the Secretary of State, should we not look for other people who do have the organising ability to arrange such a meeting quickly?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I am well aware of my noble friend's personal concern in relation to the Christie hospital in Manchester, which does excellent work in cancer care. I think he refers to a situation whereby specific allocations of the new money have not yet been made. They are being worked on this week and will be announced within the next few days. I expect that the issues to which my noble friend refers will then be resolved. As he rightly said, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State has asked the north-west region to meet executives of the hospital to discuss any specific problems that they have in that area.

§ Lord Strabolgi
My Lords, do the encouraging remarks of my noble friend mean that the Marsden hospital is now safe?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, as I said in my initial reply, specific funds are being allocated to all hospital trusts to deal with their waiting lists. Naturally, the Marsden hospital will receive funds under its allocation.

§ Baroness Masham of Ilton
My Lords, is the Minister aware that many people are delighted that patient care is high on the Government's list of priorities? Will she ensure that the tests for cancer are all accurate, and that when people are diagnosed they do not have a long wait between testing and diagnosis and the operation?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness. As she will be aware, one of the headline targets we set in the White Paper on the new NHS published before Christmas referred specifically to cancer waiting time targets. We have agreed that we wish by next year to see an arrangement whereby those who have breast cancer are seen within two weeks of the first referral, and that for all suspected cancer patients that target is reached by the year 2000.

Earl Howe
My Lords, in their manifesto the Government pledged to end waiting lists altogether for cancer surgery. Given that the method of presentation of waiting lists provides no breakdown between conditions, how shall we know when that target has been met; and when is it likely to be met?

§ Baroness Jay of Paddington
My Lords, as I said, specific waiting time targets for cancer are agreed in the 1151 NHS White Paper. Those will be given priority. The general assumption that we are making is that we shall reduce waiting lists over the whole country. That is why we are setting precise targets for all health authorities and trusts. As I said, the specific target for cancer is mentioned in the White Paper.