Steve Double, Member of Parliament for St Austell and Newquay, has joined with the other Cornish MPs to meet with NHS England representatives in Westminster to discuss the future of radiotherapy services and modernisation proposals.
NHS England launched a public consultation in October 2017 called 'Modernising radiotherapy services in England', which proposes new radiotherapy networks to encourage more collaborative working between clinicians and radiotherapy service providers. The proposals will build on an investment of £130 million to replace equipment and invest in new treatment planning systems.
The meeting between local MPs and NHS England comes after concerns were raised about how a change to radiotherapy services may impact cancer patients in Cornwall, potentially leading to longer travel times.
At the meeting, NHS England assured MPs that the proposals will not see services being moved out of Cornwall and that responses from local residents will help shape the proposals. The main proposal is to implement eleven new Radiotherapy Networks which will have more joined-up working between radiotherapy providers and introduce a new clinical model to ensure that patients can access innovative treatments as close to home as possible.
The consultation received over 11,000 responses, the vast majority of which came from Devon and Cornwall. The higher than expected number of responses means that NHS England will need more time to review them and build the feedback into the proposals, which will be made public in the summer.
Commenting, Steve said:
“It was good to meet with NHS England to discuss their proposals and the concerns that have been raised in Mid-Cornwall and across the county by concerned residents. I was especially pleased to hear their confirmation that the Sunrise Centre is safe and will be retained in Truro. ”
“I am pleased to see that NHS England are clear that the South West needs special consideration because of its geography and sparse population and that it absolutely recognises the importance of patients being able to access services close to home.”