PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Cancer (19 February 2019)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the second cancer workforce plan; and whether the Government plans to allocate funding to support the implementation of that plan.

Asked by:
Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour)

Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017 and is making significant additional investment in the cancer workforce, £8.6 million in 2018/19. HEE intended to publish a second phase, longer-term strategy that looked at the cancer workforce needs beyond 2021. This work was started and stakeholders from within the National Health Service and the charitable sector contributed to the early discussions. This work has since been superseded by publication of the NHS Long Term Plan in January 2019.

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has subsequently commissioned Baroness Dido Harding, working closely with Sir David Behan, to lead a number of programmes to engage with key NHS interests to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan. These programmes will consider detailed proposals to grow the workforce rapidly, including staff working on cancer, consider additional staff and skills required, build a supportive working culture in the NHS and ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff.

Answered by:
Steve Brine (Conservative)
25 February 2019