This week in Parliament I had the pleasure of meeting Mary from Mellor- a dedicated Cancer Research UK ambassador - at a meeting of Cancer Research UK’s #ShoulderToShoulder campaign.
It was both very interesting to meet Mary and other campaigners from Cancer Research about their campaign and its priorities I am joining them in calling for Government to stand shoulder to shoulder with the NHS to make sure it is sustainable by training and employing more staff to diagnose and treat cancer earlier. I have also added my name in support for our joint-letter to the Prime Minister, urging her to stand shoulder to shoulder with the NHS.
There will be 500,000 new cancer cases every year by 2035, and each of these patients will need staff to provide necessary diagnostic tests and treatments. There are already vacancies across many hospitals both in the diagnostic and treatment workforces, so we must act now to ensure the NHS is able to deliver world-class outcomes for future cancer patients.