To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of NHS preparedness for the next generation of blood cancer treatments.
Answered on
7 January 2025
We are committed to implementing the recommendations of the Lord O'Shaughnessy review into commercial clinical trials, to ensure that innovative, lifesaving treatments are accessible to National Health Service patients, including those with blood cancer.
The Government has also stated that £70 million will be spent on new radiotherapy machines, which will help ensure that the most advanced treatment is available to patients who need it.
In September 2024, Lord Darzi concluded an immediate and independent investigation of the NHS. These findings will help to support improvements across the healthcare system, including through the new 10-Year Health Plan. A core part of this will be our workforce, including the cancer workforce, and how we ensure we train and provide the staff, technology, and infrastructure the NHS needs to care for patients across our communities.
In addition, we will develop a new national cancer plan, which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including blood cancer.