Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme in supporting (a) people with cancer aged up to 25 and (b) their families with the cost of travel to cancer treatment.

NHS England and the integrated care boards are responsible for commissioning and ensuring healthcare needs of local communities in England are met, including for children and young people with cancer. The National Health Service in England runs schemes to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional.

The NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme provides financial assistance to patients who do not have a medical need for transport, but who require assistance with the costs of travelling to receive certain NHS services. The Department has not made a formal assessment of the effectiveness of the scheme in supporting with the cost of travel to cancer treatment, for people with cancer aged up to 25 years old, and their families. Additionally, there are currently no plans for the Department to make a formal assessment of the potential merits of implementing a fund for cancer patients aged up to 25 years old, to cover the cost of travel to attend treatment, without means testing.

The Department does not hold data on applications to the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme by cancer patients up to 25 years old, or families of a child with cancer, in the United Kingdom and from Northern Ireland, who travel to receive treatment in England.