Hospital bosses have welcomed the Government’s new five-year cancer strategy which aims to provide a “world-class” service for patients in England.
An extra £370m will be pumped into helping cancer treatments by 2010 and a range of reforms to improve screening and lifestyle choices will also be enacted.
The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust said the move shows ministers have a real desire to make a difference to thousands of cancer sufferers.
The trust’s chief executive, Cally Palmer, said: “The focus on prevention, swift access to high-quality diagnostic services, and supporting people living with cancer, is essential for world-class care.
“We welcome the emphasis not only on technical aspects of care, but on patients’ experience and the increased support provided to them.
“The additional investment in cancer services will help us deliver more services to more patients and we look forward to rising to that challenge.”
Health Secretary Alan Johnson added: “There have been record investments in services, major reduction in waiting time for patients, a rise in cancer specialists, new treatments and better drugs – successes that we can be proud of.
“Now we need to look ahead and build on this work to create a world-class cancer service for NHS patients in England.”
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