Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all pancreatic cancer patients have access to a clinical nurse specialist.

NHS England has a published service specification for pancreatic cancer which clearly defines what it expects to be in place for providers to offer evidence-based, safe and effective pancreatic cancer services. This service specification has been developed by specialised clinicians, commissioners, expert patients and public health representatives to describe core and developmental service standards.

Patients being treated at cancer units should have access to an upper gastrointestinal cancer nurse. All district general hospitals should have such a person in post. If the patient is transferred to a cancer centre they should then have access to a pancreatic nurse specialist. This person should see every patient and become their key worker.

Patients with suspected pancreatic cancer are usually first investigated by an ultrasound scan. If this shows biliary dilatation, or anything else suspicious, the patient should then be sent for a pancreas protocol computerised tomography scan which is the best investigation for identifying pancreatic cancer.

Increasing the capacity of diagnostic and imaging services is clearly recognised as a priority for the National Health Service and it is has been raised as a key issue by the independent Cancer Taskforce, as well as by the Cancer Waiting Times Taskforce. We expect a new cancer strategy to be published this summer which will set out the strategy for the system for the next five years and will include consideration of the whole cancer pathway, including the capacity of diagnostic services.

In addition, NHS England is testing various approaches to new models of care which could potentially deliver improved access to diagnostic services for cancer patients, including those with pancreatic cancer.