MP leads cross-party calls for Chancellor to use Spring Budget to “super boost” cancer services
South Lakes MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Radiotherapy Tim Farron has written to the Prime Minister and the Chancellor urging them to use next month's Spring Budget to invest in cancer services to tackle the backlog created by the pandemic.
In Tim's letter, which has been signed by 75 cross-party Parliamentarians, he warns that as many as 100,000 people could miss out on cancer treatment unless urgent action is taken to boost NHS capacity so staff can treat and diagnose more patients.
Writing to Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, Tim said: "The Government have already shown what can be achieved on a national scale with the vaccination rollout.
"The cancer backlog needs to be tackled with the same level of political will that is driving the overall Covid response and vaccination roll out.
"We urge you to intervene and ensure that your Ministers and the NHS urgently work with the cancer community to avoid a post Covid cancer catastrophe."