Cancer drugs fund being mismanaged, MPs say

NHS England accused of failing to manage the Cancer Drugs Fund effectively since its launch in 2010

Meg Hillier of the PAC said they would be monitoring the NHS’s progress

The Government still has no way of being sure how effective a major fund has been in extending the lives of cancer patients, making it impossible to know if it is providing value for money, MPs have said.

In a highly critical report, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said the Department of Health and NHS England had failed to manage the Cancer Drugs Fund effectively since its launch in 2010.

The fund was designed to give patients access to expensive new cancer drugs and drugs for rare cancers not available on the NHS.

Meg Hillier MP, chair of the PAC, said: “If cancer patients seeking its support are to get the best possible treatment there must be confidence that public money is being spent on the right medication, and at a fair price. We will be closely monitoring the progress made by the department and NHS England.”

An NHS England spokesman said new independent figures show “the NHS’s great success in improving cancer care and survival rates for patients across England”.