02 September 2005
Money earmarked for cancer services is getting through to the front line, the Department of Health insisted this week.
There were fears that some of the additional investment promised in 2000's Cancer Plan was being diverted to prop up other services.
However, Professor Mike Richards, the DoH's national director for cancer, said he had tracked funds between 2001/02 and 2003/04 and found the concern to be unfounded. In fact, the NHS spent £69m more than the Cancer Plan commitment of £570m extra by 2003/04.
During that year, £192m was spent on drugs, £230m on services such as specialist staff, £113m on new equipment and £103m on training, modernising services and palliative care.
Richards said: 'These figures show that the money being allocated to cancer services is making a real difference, with more drugs, staff and equipment being provided. Thousands of lives are being saved.'
Health minister Rosie Winterton said the NHS had made significant progress. 'We have some of the fastest falling death rates from cancer in Europe. There's still more to do, but we are delivering better treatment, more quickly, to more people than ever before.'
The exercise was a response to a warning from the Macmillan Cancer Relief charity in 2003. Then, it said, the promised cash was not improving patients' experience.
This week, Macmillan Cancer Relief chief executive Peter Cardy claimed victory for the charity's campaign. 'Macmillan will keep up the pressure on the Department of Health,' he said. 'Much more still needs to be done to meet the NHS targets and modernise services… Cancer must remain a local and national disease priority.'
PFsep2005
