To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to improve (a) outcomes and (b) treatment for children with cancer.
This answer is the replacement for a previous holding answer.
Answered on
19 July 2022
The NHS Long Term Plan commits to improve the outcomes and experience of children, teenagers and young adults with cancer. This include implementing networked care; simplifying pathways and transitions between services; ensuring that every patient has access to specialist care; and increasing participation in clinical research.
Child patients can be referred to non-specific symptom pathways which provides an additional referral route for general practitioners and can accelerate the start of treatment.
All cancer drugs, including those licensed for children, recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) are eligible for funding through the Cancer Drugs Fund. Since October 2016, the Cancer Drugs Fund has provided access to life-extending cancer treatments to 80,000 patients in England, including children.