Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure the NHS has flexible and effective procedures for identifying the correct treatments for patients with metastatic breast cancer.

People with breast cancer are cared for by a team of healthcare professionals, each with their own expertise. This is known as the multidisciplinary team (MDT). Each MDT should include the full range of health professionals required to best inform and plan the most appropriate treatment options for the patient including for those patients with metastatic breast cancer. This would include appropriate surgeons, oncologists and clinicians from a wide range of other disciplines including nursing, radiology and pathology.

NHS England expects treating clinicians will consider all available treatment options, taking account of relevant clinical and professional guidelines and the individual needs of the patient. In all cases, discussions about treatment options should take place in line with the General Medical Council’s Decision Making and Consent Guidance to ensure that people can make an informed choice about their treatment.