MPs examine impact of outdated equipment on cancer treatment

• Parliament TV: watch the session live
• Inquiry: Cancer services
• Health and Social Care Committee

Purpose of the session

The third session of the inquiry into cancer services will examine NHS cancer treatments, including Action Radiotherapy’s finding that 50% of radiotherapy centres have out of date machines, and claims that it would cost an extra £87 million a year to replace them on a rolling basis. The Committee is also expected to consider to what extent workforce shortages and burnout are affecting cancer care.

MPs will hear from academics, clinicians, and organization leaders to understand why the UK lags behind comparable countries on cancer treatment outcomes. The Committee is also expected to focus on why novel cancer treatments are less common in the UK than in comparable countries, and how changes to funding and the NICE approval process might remedy this.

Witnesses

Tuesday 26 October 2021

At 09:30:

• Dr Philippa Hetherington, cancer patient

From 09:40 approx:

• Professor David Cunningham, Chair at Association of Cancer Physicians
• Professor Mike Griffin, President at Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Professor Pat Price, Consultant Clinical Oncologist and Chair at Action Radiotherapy

From 10:40 approx:

• Professor Nick James, Prostate and Bladder Cancer Team Leader at Institute of Cancer Research
• Baroness Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive Officer at Breast Cancer Now
• David Watson, Executive Director of Economic, Health and Commercial Policy at The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI)

Further information

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

Image: Unsplash