Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the automatic patient contact system for clinical trial participation introduced as part of the Rare Cancers Act 2026 to enable the timely identification and contact of patients diagnosed with less survivable cancers; and what safeguards they will put in place to prevent delays in that contact system that could exclude eligible patients from participation in clinical trials.

The Department is committed to ensuring that all patients, including those with a rare cancer, have access to cutting-edge clinical trials and innovative, lifesaving treatments.

As set out in our National Cancer Plan, the Government will implement the Rare Cancers Act, including Section 3 of the Act which will involve developing a service to ensure rare cancer patients can be automatically contacted about clinical trials.

The Government is currently scoping the technical requirements for this service and identifying a suitable route for delivery, before a development project is commenced. This will allow data sharing from the National Disease Registration Service to the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Be Part of Research registry tool. A detailed workplan and continued engagement with the Hon. Member Dr Scott Arthur, the bill sponsor in the House of Commons, will safeguard against delays which could impact the project.

Implementing the provisions of the Rare Cancers Act will make it easier for clinical trials on rare cancers to take place in England.