Apr. 15 2024
Source Page: Brain Tumour Research Funding: FOI releaseFound: Brain Tumour Research Funding: FOI release
Mentions:
1: Lord Evans of Rainow (CON - Life peer) Cancer Mission to grow capacity for brain cancer research. - Speech Link
2: Lord Polak (CON - Life peer) Thirdly, I am an officer of the APPG on Brain Tumours; I was honoured to sit on the inquiry that produced - Speech Link
3: Lord Allan of Hallam (LDEM - Life peer) tumours affecting children—in particular DIPG, which affects up to 40 children a year and for which, - Speech Link
4: Baroness Sugg (CON - Life peer) tumours, including the Brain Tumour Charity and Brainstrust? - Speech Link
Jan. 22 2024
Source Page: Brain and central nervous system cancer: clinical quality performance indicators - engagement documentFound: Brain and central nervous system cancer: clinical quality performance indicators - engagement document
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with (i) brain tumour research charities and (ii) other organisations working to secure UK access to (A) Vorasidenib and (B) other new drugs for cancers of unmet need.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Department ministers and officials regularly meet with charities and other organisations working to improve outcomes for patients with cancer, including brain tumours, through access to new medicines.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations on whether all new medicines should be routinely funded by the National Health Service based on an assessment of their costs and benefits and aims to publish guidance as close as possible to licensing. NICE engages with stakeholders, including charities, in the development of its recommendations. NICE is currently developing guidance for the NHS on the use of Vorasidenib.
Asked by: Wishart, Beatrice (Scottish Liberal Democrats - Shetland Islands)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to create specific funding schemes for brain tumour research.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The Scottish Government has no plans to create specific funding schemes for Brain Tumour research.
Within the Scottish Government, funding of Health and Care Research comes under the remit of the Chief Scientist Office (CSO).
The CSO's Translational Clinical Studies (TCS) Committee and the Health Improvement, Protection and Services Research (HIPS) Committee each meet twice per year to consider funding applications. Details of the application process are published on the CSO website.
https://www.cso.sc ot.nhs.uk/grant-funding/response-mode-funding-schemes/. Applications on Brain Tumour research are welcomed.
CSO provides funding support through NHS Research Scotland (NRS) for infrastructure to support the running of clinical trials in the NHS here. this includes the NRS Cancer Research Network whose role is to increase, support and sustain clinical trial activity in cancer care in Scotland https://www.nhsresearchscotland.org.uk/research-areas/cancer
The NRS Cancer Research Network is currently supporting 13 Brain Tumour Clinical studies with over 190 patients recruited.
Through UK-wide funding agreements, researchers based in Scotland are able to access research funding programmes administered by the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR). Within their individual remits, these programmes can consider applications for research in Brain Tumours. CSO is working with the health research community in Scotland to ensure awareness of these opportunities and to maximise the number of high quality applications from Scotland to the NIHR research funding programmes going forward.
Asked by: Hamilton, Rachael (Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party - Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire)
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent steps have been taken to improve diagnosis times for those affected by brain tumours.
Answered by Minto, Jenni - Minister for Public Health and Women's Health
The Scottish Government published our ten year Cancer Strategy for Scotland 2023-2033 along with an initial three year Cancer Action Plan ( Cancer Plan for Scotland 2023 – 2026 ) in June 2023.
Over the next 10 years, our strategic aim is to improve cancer survival and provide excellent, equitably accessible care. The Strategy and Plan take a comprehensive approach to improving patient pathways from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and post-treatment care. We continue to place an emphasis on the less survivable cancers, including brain cancer, and improving their outcomes.
As part of this strategy, we developed a new Earlier Cancer Diagnosis Vision.
The vision includes continuing to deliver our Detect Cancer Earlier Programme, working with primary care clinicians to ensure they have direct access to diagnostic tests and quality education sources, as well as developing public campaigns to educate and empower those with possible symptoms of cancer to act early.
In addition to this work and in order to support radiology diagnostic capacity, we have funded mobile scanners to provide additional capacity for MRI and CT supporting cancer patients across NHS Scotland.
Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the newly established Children and Young People Cancer Task Force, how they will ensure that there is an integrated and coherent strategy between that and the Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence for Children in child neuro-oncology; how they will ensure that resources are not unnecessarily duplicated; and how their work will be monitored and reported.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is taking steps to ensure that there is strategic integration and alignment between the newly established Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce and other important cancer initiatives, including the Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence for Children.
The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce is intended to be a unifying force, driving progress in the research, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers affecting children and young people. The taskforce will be embedded in the landscape of cancer reform, mapping work already underway, identifying opportunities to go further, and ensuring that commitments are delivered, including those from the NHS Long Term Plan.
A vital part of the taskforce’s work will be to engage with initiatives such as the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission. The initiative for the Tessa Jowell Centre of Excellence for Children aims to recognise and award paediatric neuro-oncology centres that provide excellent treatment, care and research activities for children with brain tumours, and their families. The programme aims to uncover gaps and best practice through comprehensive data collection and is the first of its kind to understand and assess paediatric brain cancer care across the United Kingdom.
Both the taskforce and the centre will benefit from strategic coordination, senior official engagement and ongoing collaboration to ensure integration, best use of resources, and effective outcomes. While they have different timeframes and scopes, both will be subject to ongoing monitoring and reporting, with ministers being kept informed of progress at every stage.