Information between 5th April 2024 - 15th April 2024
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Select Committee Documents |
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Tuesday 9th April 2024
Written Evidence - Institute of Economic Affairs FDO0001 - Food, Diet and Obesity Food, Diet and Obesity - Food, Diet and Obesity Committee Found: Critiquing a recent study which claimed that UPF consumption causes cancer and heart disease, Visioli |
Tuesday 9th April 2024
Written Evidence - Porter Nutrition FDO0003 - Food, Diet and Obesity Food, Diet and Obesity - Food, Diet and Obesity Committee Found: Obesity increases risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. |
Tuesday 26th March 2024
Oral Evidence - 2024-03-26 10:00:00+00:00 Pharmacy - Health and Social Care Committee Found: Is it going to be a successful way to identify people and get them on a cancer pathway sooner, or |
Monday 25th March 2024
Oral Evidence - 2024-03-25 16:30:00+00:00 Health and Social Care Committee Found: have a cancer-specific strategy. |
Written Answers |
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Surgery
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings) Tuesday 9th April 2024 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of operations that were (a) cancelled and (b) delayed by more than two months due to the industrial action by junior doctors in 2023. Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care) The number of operations that were cancelled due to the industrial action by junior doctors in 2023, was 157,570. Data is not held regarding operations delayed by more than two months. The National Health Service is prioritising urgent, emergency, and cancer care, and will continue to do its best to maintain appointments and elective procedures wherever possible. Cancelled appointments that need to be rescheduled, will be done so as a priority. Data on the impact of industrial action is available here: |
Gender Dysphoria: Children
Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen) Tuesday 9th April 2024 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children of which biological sex were prescribed puberty blockers in each year since 2010. Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women) Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists or ‘puberty blockers’ are used to treat several medical conditions in children and young people. These include precocious puberty, some forms of cancer, endometriosis and gender dysphoria. Information on biological sex is not held in the format requested. |
Cancer: Research
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer) Monday 8th April 2024 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will encourage the National Institute for Health and Care Research to rigorously evaluate existing research efforts and review how they can further prioritise and drive research investment for pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers. Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) Research is crucial in the fight against cancer, which is why the Department invests £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121 million for 2022/23. In terms of establishing targeted funding into pancreatic cancer, the NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The Government, through the NIHR, is committed to improving research into pancreatic cancer and cancers with the poorest survival rates by funding high quality, timely research that leads to improved outcomes for patients and the public, and makes the health and social care system more efficient, effective, and safe. Research evidence is vital for improving treatments and outcomes for people, including those with pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers. In 2023, the Government awarded £2 million to new interdisciplinary research teams tackling hard to treat cancers, via the Medical Research Council, which hosted a two-day cancer sandpit strategic funding opportunity, focused on technological innovation for understanding cancers with the poorest survival rates. The NIHR has funded seven research projects for pancreatic cancer for the period 2019 to 2023, with a total committed spend of approximately £3.6 million. The NIHR also supports the delivery of pancreatic cancer research funded by those in the charity and public sectors. For example, since 2019, the NIHR Clinical Research Network has supported over 70 pancreatic cancer-related studies. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. All applications are assessed for funding by peer review committees. The level of research spend in a particular area is driven by factors including the quality of the proposals and their scientific potential. All applications for research into pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers made through open competition have been funded. |
Cancer: Research
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer) Monday 8th April 2024 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will establish targeted funding to prioritise and drive research investment into pancreatic cancer and the other less survivable cancers. Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) Research is crucial in the fight against cancer, which is why the Department invests £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). NIHR research expenditure for all cancers was £121 million for 2022/23. In terms of establishing targeted funding into pancreatic cancer, the NIHR funds research in response to proposals received from scientists rather than allocating funding to specific disease areas. It is not usual practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions. Applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money, and scientific quality. The Government, through the NIHR, is committed to improving research into pancreatic cancer and cancers with the poorest survival rates by funding high quality, timely research that leads to improved outcomes for patients and the public, and makes the health and social care system more efficient, effective, and safe. Research evidence is vital for improving treatments and outcomes for people, including those with pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers. In 2023, the Government awarded £2 million to new interdisciplinary research teams tackling hard to treat cancers, via the Medical Research Council, which hosted a two-day cancer sandpit strategic funding opportunity, focused on technological innovation for understanding cancers with the poorest survival rates. The NIHR has funded seven research projects for pancreatic cancer for the period 2019 to 2023, with a total committed spend of approximately £3.6 million. The NIHR also supports the delivery of pancreatic cancer research funded by those in the charity and public sectors. For example, since 2019, the NIHR Clinical Research Network has supported over 70 pancreatic cancer-related studies. The NIHR continues to encourage and welcome applications for research into any aspect of human health, including pancreatic cancer. All applications are assessed for funding by peer review committees. The level of research spend in a particular area is driven by factors including the quality of the proposals and their scientific potential. All applications for research into pancreatic cancer and other less survivable cancers made through open competition have been funded. |
Cancer: Prescription Drugs
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer) Monday 8th April 2024 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s severity modifier on the prescribing of cancer medicines. Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published its updated manual for health technology evaluations in January 2022, and has introduced a number of changes to make its methods and processes fairer, faster, and more consistent.
This includes the introduction of a broader severity modifier in place of the end-of-life modifier. NICE has been monitoring the impact of the changes that it introduced and analysis carried out by NICE for the first year of the updated manual’s implementation shows that NICE’s committee accepted 11 out of 13 cases where the company applied for a severity modifier, with eight of these being for cancer medicines. |
Cancer: Medical Treatments
Asked by: Lord Wills (Labour - Life peer) Friday 5th April 2024 Question to the Department of Health and Social Care: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, in each of the past five years, of the economic costs of the effects of post-operative cancer treatments. Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care) The Department is working jointly with NHS England and Cancer Alliances to ensure every person receives personalised care and support from cancer diagnosis onwards, including post-treatment. As outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan for cancer, where appropriate, every person diagnosed with cancer will have access to personalised care, including needs assessment, a care plan and health and wellbeing information and support. After treatment, the person will move to a follow-up pathway that suits their needs, and ensures they can get rapid access to clinical support, where they are worried that their cancer may have recurred. Post-operative cancer treatments encompass a wide variety of care, depending on the type and stage of cancer, the treatment the patient has had, and the patient’s needs. Follow-up care often includes regular check-ups, blood tests, scans, and procedures. It may also involve further treatments to deal with late and long-term side effects, including chemotherapy or radiotherapy to reduce the risk of cancer coming back. These highly individualised treatments have varying economic costs. |
Petitions |
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Fund breast screening for women aged 28-70 Petition Open - 1,660 SignaturesSign this petition 11 Oct 2024 closes in 5 months, 2 weeks The current age of breast cancer screening for women is 50-70 year olds however research suggests there has been a rise in breast cancer in younger ages. I think it would be great if we offered screening to 28-70 year olds, to catch this disease at a much earlier stage. Found: I am almost 29 years old and have a very aggressive form of breast cancer that has now spread to my lymph |
Provide funding to reduce waiting times for cancer patients to start treatment Petition Open - 36 SignaturesSign this petition 15 Oct 2024 closes in 5 months, 2 weeks I want the Government to put funding in place to increase resources so that all patients who have been diagnosed with cancer, including those who have been told the cancer has spread, can start treatment more quickly. Found: I am concerned about the long waits cancer patients can experience to access treatment. |
Dedicate funding for research into treatments for glioblastoma Petition Open - 112 SignaturesSign this petition 9 Oct 2024 closes in 5 months, 1 week Take action to make changes for glioblastoma patients, and ensure there is enough funding for research and clinical trials. We also want the Government to promote any clinical trials to make these as accessible as possible. Found: I would like the Government to increase funding for research into treatments for this cancer, to try |
Change the laws on medical protocol rules. The government guidelines the medical “Nice rules” say that if a patient who has had an operation or cancer removal operation and their DDimer results are high but are suffering with leg pain and swelling could be due to operation or lymphoedema but they have the same symptoms of a DVT This petition was rejected on 5th Apr 2024 for not being a Government or Parliamentary matterFound: The government guidelines the medical “Nice rules” say that if a patient who has had an operation or cancer |
Fund free eye tests for all Petition Open - 46 SignaturesSign this petition 5 Oct 2024 closes in 5 months, 1 week We want the government to support free eye tests for all ages to help increase the early detection and enable treatment of brain cancer and serious eye diseases and disorders. Found: The early detection of brain cancer and other degenerative eye disorders is imperative to treat and improve |
Bill Documents |
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Apr. 10 2024
Research Briefing on the Bill Tobacco and Vapes Bill 2023-24 Briefing papers Found: Its membership includes Cancer Research, the Royal College of Physicians, the Royal College of General |
Department Publications - Transparency |
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Friday 12th April 2024
Home Office Source Page: Non-technical summaries granted in 2024 Document: Non-technical summaries: projects granted in 2024, January to March (PDF) Found: pancreatic cancer. |
Department Publications - News and Communications |
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Thursday 11th April 2024
Department of Health and Social Care Source Page: Diagnostic checks rolled out to 160 sites under CDC programme Document: Diagnostic checks rolled out to 160 sites under CDC programme (webpage) Found: campuses – as well as NHS hospitals – CDCs play a vital role in identifying and treating illnesses such as cancer |
Department Publications - Guidance |
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Tuesday 9th April 2024
Department for Work and Pensions Source Page: Employing disabled people: Disability Confident and CIPD manager’s guide Document: Recruiting, managing and developing disabled people: a practical guide for managers [print-ready PDF] (PDF) Found: Some conditions are automatically considered disabilities, such as cancer, HIV infection and multiple |
Tuesday 9th April 2024
Department for Work and Pensions Source Page: Employing disabled people: Disability Confident and CIPD manager’s guide Document: Recruiting, managing and developing disabled people: a practical guide for managers [accessible PDF] (PDF) Found: Some conditions are automatically considered disabilities, such as cancer, HIV infection and multiple |
Department Publications - Policy paper |
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Monday 8th April 2024
Ministry of Justice Source Page: Wymott Prison: Action Plan Document: inspection report for Wymott Prison (PDF) Found: Preventative screening programmes, including those for bowel cancer were available , and monthly audit |
Non-Departmental Publications - Guidance and Regulation |
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Apr. 15 2024
UK Health Security Agency Source Page: Supporting safer visiting in care homes during infectious illness outbreaks Document: Next Phase Community Health Service End of Life Core Service framework (PDF) Guidance and Regulation Found: (For example, smoking cessation, obesity, drug and alcohol dependency, dementia and cancer. ). |
Non-Departmental Publications - Statistics |
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Apr. 11 2024
NHS England Source Page: Waiting times for suspected and diagnosed cancer patients for February 2024 Document: Waiting times for suspected and diagnosed cancer patients for February 2024 (webpage) Statistics Found: Waiting times for suspected and diagnosed cancer patients for February 2024 |
Apr. 11 2024
HM Revenue & Customs Source Page: Child and Working Tax Credits error and fraud statistics 2020 to 2021 Document: Child and Working Tax Credits error and fraud statistics 2020 to 2021 (webpage) Statistics Found: Related content Child and Working Tax Credits error and fraud statistics 2019 to 2020 Cancer |
Non-Departmental Publications - News and Communications |
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Apr. 10 2024
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Source Page: Smith, Chloe - Secretary of State for the Department of Science, Innovation - ACOBA Advice Document: Advice Letter: Chloe Smith, Trustee, Big C (PDF) News and Communications Found: concerns about you taking up this appointment including your access to information in relation to cancer |
Non-Departmental Publications - Transparency |
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Apr. 09 2024
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency Source Page: MHRA FOI performance data Document: (Excel) Transparency Found: able to advise whether MHRA are looking to approve mirvetuximab for use in platinum resistant ovarian cancer |
Non-Departmental Publications - Policy paper |
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Apr. 08 2024
HM Prison and Probation Service Source Page: Wymott Prison: Action Plan Document: inspection report for Wymott Prison (PDF) Policy paper Found: Preventative screening programmes, including those for bowel cancer were available , and monthly audit |
Scottish Select Committee Publications |
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Friday 5th April 2024
Correspondence - Letter from Public Health Scotland and Food Standards Scotland to the HSCS Convener concerning restricting promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar, or salt, 5 April 2024 Restricting promotions of food and drink high in fat, sugar, or salt Health, Social Care and Sport Committee Found: disease in Scotland is forecast to rise by 21% by 2048 , partly driven by large rises in cases of cancer |
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S6W-26210
Asked by: Cole-Hamilton, Alex (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Edinburgh Western) Monday 8th April 2024 Question To ask the Scottish Government how much it has spent on cancer research in each year since 2011-12 in (a) cash terms and (b) real terms, broken down by spending through (i) NHS Research Scotland and (ii) other routes. Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health Within the Scottish Government, funding for Health and Care Research comes under the policy remit of the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) (A) The following table provides the amount in cash terms of CSO cancer research funding per year from 2011-12 Column 1 - NHS Research Scotland (NRS) - includes funding for the NRS Cancer Research Network; the CSO component of funding for the Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres in Edinburgh and Glasgow (co-funded 50:50 with Cancer Research UK); NRS Career Research Fellowships in cancer Column 2 - Direct Funding - includes cancer projects funded through the CSO grant funding committees; Academic Fellowships in cancer funded through the CSO capacity building programmes; the CSO component of collaborative research project and fellowship funding with cancer research charities Column 3 - total CSO cancer research funding by year To note - for multi-year projects and fellowships, the funding figure is allocated to the year corresponding to the start date (in the case of cancer charity collaborations the funding is allocated to the year of the collaboration agreement)
From 1 April 2006 a recurring investment of £500,000 was incorporated into the NHS Boards unified budgets to support the NHS Cancer Research Network which would be subject to the annual uplift applied to Boards’ baseline budgets - this has not been included in the above table (B) The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
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S6W-26391
Asked by: Swinney, John (Scottish National Party - Perthshire North) Friday 5th April 2024 Question To ask the Scottish Government whether consideration is being given, as part of the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, to risk factors such as family history and ethnicity in improving the early detection of prostate cancer. Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care A wealth of evidence is being collated and analysed as part of the 2024 Clinical Review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, including from key partners Cancer Research UK and Healthcare Improvement Scotland. All factors that are relevant in the context of symptoms suspicious of cancer based on available evidence, that could support primary care decision-making, will be considered in the Guideline review. The prostate peer review session (PRS), as part of the Review, is scheduled for May 2024. |
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S6W-26443
Asked by: White, Tess (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - North East Scotland) Friday 5th April 2024 Question To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce the waiting time for a colonoscopy once a patient is notified that further investigation is required after returning a bowel screening test. Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Our priority is to ensure those people referred for suspected cancer or via screening programmes receive the appropriate diagnosis and treatment safely, based on their clinical urgency. To specifically support scope-based diagnostics, we have published a £70m Endoscopy and Urology Diagnostic Recovery and Renewal Plan, including provision of additional endoscopy training places via the NHS Academy to future-proof the workforce and provide additional diagnostic capacity to reduce waiting times. |
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S6W-26206
Asked by: Carson, Finlay (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Galloway and West Dumfries) Friday 5th April 2024 Question To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with (a) NHS Scotland and (b) the relevant NHS boards regarding the provision of recurrent funding for (i) existing and (ii) future Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services. Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Officials met with every Health Board’s Cancer Management Team in March 2024 to discuss their plans for implementing, or sustaining, a Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service. All possible funding options for both existing and future services will require careful consideration, locally and nationally. |
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S6W-26204
Asked by: Carson, Finlay (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Galloway and West Dumfries) Friday 5th April 2024 Question To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on how many patients have been diagnosed with a blood cancer through Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services. Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care The recently published University of Strathclyde evaluation report https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/88280/7/Maguire-etal-2024-Final-report-of-the-evaluation-of-rapid-cancer-diagnostic-services.pdf showed that 13.5% of cancers diagnosed through the Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services (RCDS) were blood cancers. The Scottish Government does not hold data on exact numbers but work is underway with Public Health Scotland to create a national RCDS data-set. |
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S6W-26207
Asked by: Carson, Finlay (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Galloway and West Dumfries) Friday 5th April 2024 Question To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to improve equity of access to Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services, particularly in Scotland's more remote and rural NHS boards. Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care Officials met with every Health Board’s Cancer Management Team in Scotland, including the Island Boards, in March 2024 to discuss their plans for establishing a Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service (RCDS). The commitment remains, as reflected in Scotland’s Cancer Strategy, to achieve population coverage of an RCDS for eligible patients by Spring 2026. The recent University of Strathclyde evaluation report https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/88280/7/Maguire-etal-2024-Final-report-of-the-evaluation-of-rapid-cancer-diagnostic-services.pdf showed that a virtual model is well accepted by patients and will be considered by Boards in the North of Scotland. |
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S6W-26205
Asked by: Carson, Finlay (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Galloway and West Dumfries) Friday 5th April 2024 Question To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to allowing potential cancer patients to self-refer to Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Services. Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care At present, no consideration has been given for patients to self-refer to a Rapid Cancer Diagnostic Service. The focus remains on working towards population based coverage to an RCDS for eligible patients by Spring 2026. While we will continue to monitor emerging evidence from UK and international counterparts who have established similar Rapid Diagnostic Centre models, primary care currently play an integral role at the point of referral for RCDS patients. As well as undertaking key initial tests to support triage in secondary care, patients are informed of the process ahead so they can make informed decisions about their care. |
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S6W-26390
Asked by: Swinney, John (Scottish National Party - Perthshire North) Friday 5th April 2024 Question To ask the Scottish Government when the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer will be completed. Answered by Gray, Neil - Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care The 2024 Clinical Review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer has commenced, with clinical peer review sessions running from April to October 2024. A consultation period will then follow to allow stakeholders across NHS Scotland to comment on the final version. A revised Guideline is expected to be published early 2025. |