John Baron MP congratulates NHS on inclusion of cancer survival indicators at local level

MP says local Outcomes Indicator Set will encourage earlier diagnosis – Cancer’s ‘magic key’

Yesterday the NHS Commissioning Board published the first edition of the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set, which will hold the local NHS to account and set the priorities for improving health outcomes. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer (APPGC) was pleased with the inclusion of one- and five-year cancer survival rate indicators.

The APPGC fought a year-long campaign to persuade the Commissioning Board to include these survival rates, since they should ensure local Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) focus on earlier diagnosis. Late diagnosis makes for poor survival rates, since the earlier cancers are detected, the more successful the treatment.

John said,

“I congratulate the NHS Commissioning Board for including one- and five-year survival rates in the CCG Outcomes Indicator Set. The APPGC campaigned hard for these survival rates to be included, and will closely monitor their application in the reformed NHS.”

“Putting the one- and five-year survival rates up in lights at a local level will drive CCGs towards earlier diagnosis – cancer’s ‘magic key’. We now stand a real chance of saving an extra 5,000 cancer patients’ lives by 2014.”

Ends

Word Count: 208

Date: 19^th December 2012

Notes to Editors:

• John is Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer.
• The NHS Commissioning Board is an executive non-departmental public body which is tasked with improving health outcomes across the NHS.
  • As part of the NHS reforms, Clinical Commissioning Groups are replacing the current set of Primary Care Trusts.
  • The Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set was formerly known as the ‘Commissioning Outcomes Framework’.
  • For more information, see John’s press release of 12^th December [‘John Baron MP presses on Government to encourage earlier diagnosis at major cancer conference’].