§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she has taken to assist cancer sufferers to live at home with the appropriate and necessary level of support.
§ Mr. SackvilleHealth authorities are required to contract for specialist palliative care services to meet the assessed health needs of their populations. We have increased the amount of funding made available to health authorities for specialist palliative care from £8 million in 1990–91 to nearly £48 million this financial year. This financial commitment has helped to ensure that palliative care is increasingly available in all settings, including in the patient's own home. The development of the right services to enable people to live in their own homes wherever this is possible and sensible is a key objective of the new community care arrangements. The expert advisory group on cancer also recommended that treatment should be provided as close to the patient's home as is compatible with high-quality, safe and effective treatment.