Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of advances in the treatment of melanoma.

Jane Ellison

NHS England has published a service specification for adult skin cancer services which sets out what the National Health Service must have in place to offer high quality skin cancer treatment, care and support. Embedded in this is the best practice guidance on skin cancer published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Improving Outcomes for People with Skin Tumours, including Melanoma published by NICE in 2006 and updated in 2010, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of patients with skin cancer, including melanoma.

NICE is also planning to develop a skin cancer quality standard. Quality Standards are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers what a high quality service should look like and they play a key role in helping to drive up standards of care.

Making significant progress in ensuring people have access to the right treatment when they need it, including drugs and treatments recommended by NICE, is an objective for NHS England with regard to cancer under the mandate.