HC Deb 30 June 2003 vol 408 cc134-5W
Dr. Gibson

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will provide a breakdown of the amount received by different services of the funding under the Cancer Plan; [120611]

(2) how much money each individual cancer network was given, (a) excluding and (b) including funding from central budgets, in financial years (i) 2001–02 and (ii) 2002–03; [120613]

(3) how each cancer network spent the extra money set aside under the Cancer Plan; [120614]

(4) whether cancer networks who invested less than 60 per cent. of the extra money for cancer services set aside under the Cancer Plan will receive extra funds from central government to increase their investment in cancer services; [120615]

(5) if he will provide a breakdown by capital project of the Cancer Plan money and how these projects affected service delivery. [120616]

Miss Melanie Johnson

Resources for funding cancer services have been included in general primary care trust (PCT) allocations for 2003–04 and in the general allocations to health authorities in previous years.

The Department published a report on 22 May from the national clinical director for cancer services, Professor Mike Richards, detailing investment in cancer services locally and from central budgets over the past two years. Copies are available in the Library. Further details are available at www.doh.gov.uk/cancer.

Investment in new cancer drugs has been the single largest element of expenditure. However, there has also been significant investment in other key areas, such as expanding the cancer workforce to improve access to diagnostic capacity and to help build specialist teams to deliver high quality treatment and care. Some networks have invested to extend services such as radiotherapy and strengthen existing services, such as screening.

The national report includes figures on spending on cancer drugs and new service developments in each network. Beyond this, strategic health authorities and cancer networks collected more detailed information, where possible, in the ways that were most appropriate to local circumstances. Networks specified their new service developments in a variety of formats and so it is not possible to give a national picture of how the money was spent, but networks have made further information available locally.

The report included a broad assessment of whether networks' spending had been in line with their expected share of the national totals. Some local variations were expected given that networks had differing starting points and differing local priorities, but investment in a few networks did fall short of the expected totals. However, PCTs are receiving an additional £12.7 billion over the three years 2003–04 to 2005–06. It is for PCTs in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national priorities, including the targets set for cancer in the three year priorities and planning framework.

In the financial year 2001–02, 71 computed tomography (CT) scanners (four additional and 67 replacement), 18 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners (13 additional and five replacement) and 33 linear accelerators (12 additional and 21 replacement) were delivered to the national health service from central budgets. The figures for 2002–03 were 40 CT scanners (17 additional and 23 replacement), 11 MRI scanners (seven additional and four replacement) and 17 linear accelerators (four additional and 13 replacement). The aim of this investment is to increase capacity in diagnostic services and begin to tackle inequalities in access to radiotherapy services. Each scanner will provide improved access to diagnostic imaging services to all patients, though the impact of the extra capacity in terms of waiting times will depend on local circumstances. The investment in linear accelerators will make available to patients the latest treatment technology.