§ Ann KeenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to raise awareness amongst medical professions about methods of treating lymphoedema. [176098]
§ Dr. LadymanThe content and standard of postgraduate medical training for specialist medicine is the responsibility of the United Kingdom competent authority, the Specialist Training Authority (STA). The STA takes advice from the appropriate Royal College, which appreciates the requirements presented by different conditions and develop their training curricula as appropriate. Doctors increasingly recognise that lymphoedema requires skilled management to maximise the quality of life for people with this condition.
In 2002, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence updated the Improving Outcomes in Breast Cancer guidance. The guidance makes various recommendations about lymphoedema. These include that cancer networks should agree guidelines for identifying and managing lymphoedema and that a lymphoedema service should be available for all patients who require it.