John Baron MP presses Health Minister over cancer network funding rethink during ‘listening exercise’

27th April 2011
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MP urges Government to extend funding guarantee to help GPs commission services

 

During Health Questions in the House of Commons, John Baron MP pressed the Rt. Hon. Paul Burstow MP, Minister of State in the Department of Health, as to how the Government was going to ensure that GP consortia will be given enough specialist support when commissioning cancer services.

John said:

“There is concern about whether GP consortia will be given enough specialist support when commissioning integrated cancer services. Will the Government use the pause in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill to consider extending the guarantee for cancer network funding from 2012 to 2014, when the transition period ends and GP commissioning comes fully into effect.”

The Minister of State assured John that the listening exercise is a genuine one and gave the commitment that he will take on board such representations. He praised the cancer networks for the valuable contribution they make.

John said afterwards:

“GP consortia and therefore patients could very well benefit from the expertise within cancer networks. The problem is that the network funding is only guaranteed until next year. During the listening exercise, I hope the Government will reconsider and extend this guaranteed funding until at least the GP consortia are fully up and running in 2014.”

John is Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer

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