£165m investment in cancer services pledged

The government today announced the next stage in a three-year £165 million investment programme for the health service, which will see the NHS equipped with state-of-the-date equipment for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

As a result of today's announcement the NHS in England will have a stock of up-to-date diagnostic scanners and all MRI scanners, CT scanners and Linear Accelerators in use in the NHS before 1997 will be replaced. The government says that not a single MRI scanner, CT scanner or Linac in use in the NHS is more than 11 years old. Up to £90 million will replace all CT and MRI scanners installed before 1997, and £75 million will replace all NHS Linear Accelerators (Linacs) installed before 1996.

The Secretary of State for Health Alan Milburn said: "Tackling cancer is a top clinical priority in the NHS. By 2006 no cancer scanner in the NHS will be older than the government - every one will have been renewed since 1997.

"We are moving towards having cancer services up with the best in Europe after decades lagging behind. The NHS in England can today look forward to having diagnostic services as modern as any country in Europe."

Mr Milburn was speaking following publication of a report by the National Clinical Director for Cancer Services, Professor Mike Richards, detailing investment in cancer services over the past two years.

Professor Mike Richards said: "We have made a good start. The new systems are now in place to drive the changes needed to deliver the Cancer Plan. We have a huge amount of work underway to modernise the way in which cancer services are delivered. The investment has begun to get through and we must ensure this is sustained over the critical three years ahead."

The NHS Cancer Plan, announced in 2000, committed an extra £280 million for cancer services in 2001/02, rising to £407 million in 2002/3 and £570 million by 2003/4.

The report shows that while cancer investment was below that planned for 2001/2, this was corrected in 2002/03 in line with the commitments set out in the Cancer Plan. Planned local investment in cancer alongside central budgets for 2003/4 will mean that the NHS will invest more than the £570 million provided in the Cancer Plan.

CT and MRI scanners are used in the diagnosis of cancer and to monitor the progress of treatment. And Linear Accelerators provide high-energy x-ray beams which are targeted at tumours in the treatment of cancer.

The new machines have the potential to match the treatment beams to the shape of the tumour to provide a much more precise and efficient treatment.

(GMcG)