5. Will the Minister make a statement on the Welsh Government’s intention to establish a cancer drugs fund? OAQ(5)0013(HWS)

I thank the Member for the question. We will not establish a Welsh cancer drugs fund. The English cancer drugs fund will be scrapped at the end of this month. We are prioritising the establishment of a new treatment fund as one of our key commitments in the first 100 days. I expect to be able to tell Members more about it. The fund will support the speedy introduction of innovative and effective high-cost treatments for life-threatening diseases.

Minister, our own proposals for a Welsh cancer treatment fund would not only have improved access to new, modern medicines, but would also have made cancer treatment more accessible for patients through the establishment of a mobile cancer treatment unit. In rural parts of Wales, such as my own constituency in Montgomeryshire, that would, of course, be an invaluable service. My question, Cabinet Secretary, is: what consideration have you given to the establishment of a mobile cancer treatment service?

Well, we, of course, already undertake a range of mobile cancer treatment services, and you will be very well aware of our ambition to undertake more care within the community—that shift from secondary to primary care. It’s an important part of what we wish to do. That would certainly be the case within cancer services as well. We have had well-established programmes, working with Macmillan Cancer Support, for example, on understanding primary care oncology services. We are working with our clinicians to improve what they do and to make sure that care is provided in the most appropriate setting. I will make no apology for not accepting or following Tory proposals for a Welsh cancer drugs fund. We do not believe that that is the right thing to do. It’s not just that: the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Commons said there was no evidence of improved outcomes from the English fund, and Sir Bruce Keogh, whom the Tories are often fond of quoting in this Chamber, has described the cancer drugs fund as not a smart and sustainable use of money. He recognised that more of the budget there is being spent on less effective medication. That is a poor model for us to follow, and I’m proud of what we are already doing and what we are committed to doing with the new treatment fund.

As you’ve indicated, health Secretary, the English cancer drugs fund has not worked and is being abolished this week. However, I’m delighted that this Government is committed to a new treatment fund, and I’m also really pleased that we are committed to a further review of the individual patient funding requests system. As you know, I am a long-standing advocate of the need to move to a national panel that would ensure consistency and fairness in decision making, and I also would like to see the end of the exceptionality test, which I do not believe has the support of many clinicians in Wales. What assurances can you offer that this review will be undertaken in a speedy manner, but also that you will ensure that the views of clinicians and patients are taken into account?

I thank the Member for her question, and she is right; she has taken a very consistent interest in this particular area. You’ll be aware that, in the discussions we had prior to the formation of this Government, in the compact with Plaid Cymru, an IPFR review was one of the things that we agreed upon between our parties. I expect to come forward with some proposals, after discussion—hopefully, before recess—on what an IPFR review could look like and to set a timescale in a matter of months for that to take place. It is important to me that that review has proper clinical buy-in of clinicians with expertise in the area and that there is a proper patient voice as part of the evidence-gathering process. So, I can also confirm that, in any review, it is my view that for the review to have real meaning, it must consider again the points about whether there should or should not be a national panel—you’ll understand that the previous review came down against a national panel, for practical reasons as much as anything else—but also, to examine again whether the exceptionality criteria are the right way to proceed. So, I’m happy to confirm that I expect those to be part of the review and for us to be able to report back in a prompt manner to this place and then to undertake any changes, if that is what the review itself recommends.

Cabinet Secretary, as you’ve stated often, and repeated this afternoon, the need for a treatment fund extends beyond the cancer drugs issue and should incorporate a wide range of treatments, including new forms of radiotherapy, which I know the Cabinet Secretary for Education championed in the last Assembly—CyberKnife stereotactic body radiotherapy, and proton beam therapy, and an information event is actually being sponsored by Bethan Jenkins tomorrow on that issue. But, they depend upon equipment and a trained workforce. So, what investment strategies has the Welsh Government established to introduce greater availability of such treatments across Wales, and what workforce requirements have been identified to deliver these?

I thank the Member for the question. One of the points I’ll make is that, on life sciences and the life sciences industry, we’ve actually got a good record on seeing development here, and the proton beam developments that could take place in south-east Wales are being led by the private sector, and that could lead to improved access in the NHS here in Wales but also potentially improve costs as well. We could actually see people coming in from other parts of England to use a service there. So, the commissioning will be important, and I look forward to having constructive conversations on the life sciences industry with my colleague Julie James, the Minister for Skills and Science.

On your broader point about workforce planning, of course there is an issue here about making sure we have the right workforce, equipped with the right skills to undertake the right care in the right place at the right time, and I’m really pleased to remind Members of the decision made at the end of the last Assembly, by my predecessor, on medical training. We will train more nurses than ever before, and more radiologists than ever before, so, we recognise where we need to have more people coming into the service with the right skills to deliver the sort of modern healthcare service that we need. It is doctors, it is nurses, and a whole range of other professions who are needed to ensure that we can deliver the sort of service that all of us wish to see.