Responding to David Cameron's speech on NHS reform today, Mike Hobday, Head of Policy of Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

"We welcome the Prime Minister's reassurance that the relevant healthcare professionals will be involved in key decision-making about the commissioning of NHS care and the commitment that patients will receive high-quality and coordinated care, rather than the NHS being subject to an unbridled free market. This is a key safeguard to ensure that care for cancer patients does not suffer under the proposed NHS reforms.

"Cancer is a set of highly complex diseases and GPs tell us that they will need specialist help to commission cancer services. This is why it is vital that cancer networks should continue to be used to inform decision making about the commissioning of cancer services, and why the Government must commit to fund them at least until GP consortia are up and running in 2014.

"We hope the 'listening exercise' results in a long-term commitment to clinical networks, and are encouraged by the David Cameron's comments today that this will be the case."

Source:
Macmillan Cancer Support