Ending the postcode lottery
35. Expanding cancer services and providing faster access is not enough on its own.
We also need to ensure those services are of top quality and that every cancer patient gets the most appropriate treatment. For the first time ever, there will be a comprehensive programme of guidance setting national standards for effective cancer services; the funding to put this guidance into practice; and new systems to monitor implementation and provide assurance for patients and the public.
36. Cancer drugs It is unacceptable that getting access to new and effective drugs has depended on where people live rather than their clinical need. The new funding announced in the NHS Plan will mean that when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) publishes its guidance on 13 new cancer drugs in summer 2001, health authorities right across the country will be able to take full account of it.
37. Cancer treatment NICE will also commission a comprehensive package of guidance over the next three years on the organisation of cancer services. All parts of the NHS will be expected to implement this. And investment in the cancer workforce will mean care is delivered by specialist teams in line with evidence on best practice.
38. Assessing the standard of cancer services The Commission for Health Improvement's review of cancer services, due in 2001, will provide an independent assessment of the current state of cancer services and be a baseline against which to measure future progress. To support local clinical governance arrangements, there will also be new consistent peer review assessment processes for cancer services to monitor implementation of national guidance and help drive up quality.
