Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NICE Clinical Guideline (NG101) Early and Locally Advanced Breast Cancer: Diagnosis and Management (2018), what steps he is taking to ensure that all people who have had treatment for breast cancer have a written care plan including the signs and symptoms to look for of metastatic breast cancer.

The NHS Long Term Plan sets a clear ambition that where appropriate every person diagnosed with cancer should have access to personalised care by 2021. This includes providing personalised care and support planning, and information to support health and wellbeing. The key signs and symptoms of cancer recurrence are included in an end of treatment summary.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are supporting staff to offer personalised care to people affected by cancer by promoting awareness and understanding of the personalised care interventions. This includes providing resources such as a handbook on personalised stratified follow up, a checklist on health and wellbeing information and support, webinars, and a collaborative online workspace for staff. Cancer Alliances are leading programmes of work to embed personalised care within local providers.

The latest public data from December 2019 show that 94% of trusts offered personalised care and supporting planning for breast cancer patients.