Cancer treatment is a priority for this Government and I am greatly pleased to see that survival rates are currently at a record high. Since 2010, survival rates have increased successively year-on-year and approximately 7,000 people are alive today who would not have been had mortality rates remained the same as then.
In October 2018, measures were announced which aimed at seeing three quarters of all cancers detected at an early stage by 2028 (currently just over half are detected at an early stage) and these are now being rolled out across the country. The plan includes an overhaul of screening programmes, provides new investment in state of the art equipment to transform the process of diagnosis, along with boosting research and innovation. This is part of the NHS Long Term Plan and forms part of how the Government will achieve its target to see 55,000 more people surviving cancer for five years in England each year from 2028. The 2015 Cancer Strategy for England, laid out a vision for what cancer patients should expect from the health service: effective prevention, prompt and effective diagnosis, informed choice and convenient care, access to the best effective treatments with minimal side effects, always knowing what is going on and why, holistic support, and the best possible quality of life, particularly at the end of life.
NHS England has confirmed a funding allocation of over £600 million to support the rolling out of the Cancer Strategy for England. Approximately £200 million of this funding was used in 2017 and 2018 on a transformation fund for Cancer Alliances to encourage local areas to find new and innovative ways to diagnose cancer earlier, improve the care for those living with the disease and ensure each patient gets the right care for them.
I wholly welcome the announcement of a further £33.9 billion investment in the NHS by 2023/24 and I am certain that this will greatly support its efforts to improve cancer services.
