Cancer Funding

Campaign history

November 2002

In November 2002 CancerBACUP published the first full audit of cancer funding showing shortfalls in money getting to frontline services. It followed a government commitment under the NHS Cancer Plan (September 2000) that an additional £570 million would be directly allocated to cancer services by 2003/4. The audit received substantial media coverage.

The study’s findings included:

• Fifty per cent of cancer networks had not received their expected allocation of funds for treating cancer patients in 2002/2003
• Forty-three per cent reported a shortfall in promised funds by 20 – 25 per cent in 2002/3
• Over 80 per cent of cancer networks did not expect to receive their promised allocation of funds in 2003/4.

January 2003

Following CancerBACUP’s audit of cancer funding last November showing shortfalls in money getting to front line services, Strategic Health Authorities were asked to take part in a Department of Health  ‘exceptional tracking exercise’.  CancerBACUP welcomed the exercise, calling for early publication of the results.

Press release: CancerBACUP welcomes ministers’ decision to find out where cancer money has been spent

May 2003

The results of the ‘exceptional tracking exercise’ were published in late May and confirmed that in the first year of the National Cancer Plan many millions had not been spent as proposed, while in the second year the spending had caught up with the government commitments.  There was a period of catch-up during 2002/3, bringing spending roughly back in line with the Plan’s predictions, but the audit also showed that in one third of cancer networks, at least a fifth of the money had not been spent

CancerBACUP issued a statement saying that ringfenced money and continuous tracking were the lessons that should be learned from the exceptional tracking exercise.

Press release: CancerBACUP calls for continuous tracking of Cancer Plan money

Department of Health report: www.doh.gov.uk/cancer

June 2003

Ian Gibson, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer, tabled parliamentary questions requesting clarification of the figures provided in the government’s report and further questions asking what plans the government has to continue the tracking exercise on a regular basis.

Health Minister Melanie Johnson responded to these questions at the end of June 2003 – Hansard transcript

October 2003

Following CancerBACUP’s publication of data revealing postcode prescribing regarding Herceptin for advanced breast cancer, the government announced an investigation into postcode prescribing, and a second audit of cancer funding.

See Postcode Prescribing

October 2003

CancerBACUP published the results of a MORI poll showing that most people in the UK believed that cancer funding should be ringfenced, and that cancer should be funded out of national, rather than local, budgets.

Press release: Cancer is revealed as THE top health priority for people in Britain, according to CancerBACUP survey