§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the availability of homoeopathic and herbal medicines for cancer treatments on the NHS. [79499]
§ Mr. HuttonA Framework for Commissioning Cancer Services (Calman/Hine) reported that one of the general principles that should govern the provision of cancer care is that the development of cancer services should be patient centred and should take account of patients, carers and family views and preferences as well as those of professionals.
Like other forms of treatment, the availability of homeopathic and herbal medicines on the National Health Service is a matter, firstly for the clinical judgment of the clinician in respect of individual patients and, secondly, upon decisions taken at local level on how resources should best be used to meet the health needs of the local population in the context of local health implementation programmes.
§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures the Government are undertaking to improve cancer treatment provision in the UK. [79497]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Calman/Hine report published in 1995 set out a framework for improving the organisation and delivery of cancer services in England and Wales. Similar arrangements are in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland. A key element has been the identification of cancer units and centres and local agreements about which cancers should be treated at each individual hospital. Implementation is being supported by the subsequent publication of evidence-based guidance for improving outcomes in breast, colorectal and lung cancer. Guidance on the gynaecological cancers will be published in April 1999 and cancers of the upper gastro-intestinal tract will follow in late autumn. Over the past 18 months, we have invested £30 million in breast and colorectal cancer services to speed access to diagnosis and treatment and improve quality of care. We announced on 5 March 1999 that a further £10 million was being made available to improve lung cancer services. Targeted funding will be used to improve access to lung cancer services, augment specialist teams and improve palliative care services in a similar way to the funding made available for breast cancer services. National Health Service trusts and health authorities will be asked to submit funding proposals and detail the tangible improvements that the funding will achieve.
Our new White Paper "The new NHS" guarantees that everyone with suspected cancer will be able to see a specialist within two weeks of their general practitioner deciding that they need to be seen urgently and requesting an appointment. These arrangements have been guaranteed for everyone with suspected breast cancer by April 1999 and for all other cases of suspected cancer by 2000. A new monitoring system will be operational from April 1999 for measuring achievement of the breast cancer target. Health Authorities will demonstrate in their health improvement programmes that plans are in place to deliver quality and timely care in accordance with Calman/Hine and the White Paper target.
107WFull implementation will take some 10 years and national milestones for the mid implementation period 1999–2002 are currently being worked up. This includes ongoing development of national standards and work being taken forward within primary care.