Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed abolition of NHS England on (a) Genomics England and (b) the provision of whole genome sequencing to patients with rare cancers by the NHS Genomics Medicine Service.

Genomics is a powerful healthcare technology, aiding diagnosis and informing treatment for rare diseases and certain cancers.

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new Executive Team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation. As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds. Throughout the transition, we will retain our focus on patient care, ensuring continuity of care and that there are no risks to patient safety.

In addition, the National Cancer Plan for England will be published in the second half of this year, and will not be adversely affected by the work to bring the two organisations together. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experiences and outcomes for people with cancer, including outcomes for people with rare cancers.