Cancer patients in the East Midlands are being given greater access to drugs recommended by their doctors thanks to a share of the Government’s £200m Cancer Drug Fund, launched by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
Initially NHS East Midlands will receive £11.6m to provide additional funding for cancer drugs.
The launch of the fund follows the £50m interim fund that has helped over 2,000 cancer patients from across England since October last year. In this region 133* people have been able to access cancer drugs from funding given by the East Midlands Interim Cancer Drug Fund.
The regional fund is led by a clinical panel that put doctors in charge of deciding how this funding is spent for their patients locally, together with advice from patients’ cancer specialists.
The fund is designed to improve access to drugs not already routinely available. Its purpose is to supplement the work of Primary Care Trusts, not to replace the existing local processes they run to enable patients to access cancer treatment.
Dr William Goddard, Chair of the East Midlands Interim Cancer Drug Fund Panel, said: “NHS organisations across the region have worked hard to create a fair and equitable process for applications, which are made through individual patients’ cancer specialists to the fund, and we are delighted that through this work we have hopefully been able to extend the life of or improve the quality of life for more patients. The further £11.6m pledged by the Government will enable us to carry on this work.
“In the East Midlands we will also continue to focus on improving access to cancer screening programmes and appropriate diagnostic tests as well as supporting people to make lifestyle changes such as stopping smoking that will reduce their risk of getting cancer.”
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:
“The interim fund has already helped over 2,000 cancer patients across England. We are confident that the £600 million Cancer Drugs Fund will, over the next three years, continue to meet this previously unmet need and improve the lives of many thousands more cancer sufferers, giving them precious extra time with their loved ones.
“Our commitment to the values of the NHS is providing high quality care for everyone and ensuring nobody is excluded from getting the treatments and drugs that their doctors think will help them.”
