Written question WQ83474

The Welsh Government has published its approach to improving cancer outcomes in the form of a Quality Statement for Cancer. This new approach was set out in A Healthier Wales and confirmed in the National Clinical Framework. The Quality Statement for Cancer takes over from the Cancer Delivery Plan for Wales. It sets out what good cancer services look like and describes our policy intentions with regard to the development of cancer services.

Health boards and trusts in Wales plan and deliver clinical services and will therefore respond to the Quality Statement for Cancer through the reintroduction of the Integrated Medium Term Planning process and any local underpinning planning processes. Health board and trust delivery will then be monitored through the routine accountability processes that have been put in place by the Welsh Government.

As set out in the National Clinical Framework, the Wales Cancer Network will establish a ‘Board’ arrangement to take over from the Cancer Implementation Group. The Wales Cancer Network Board will eventually form part of the NHS Executive function; however, in the meantime it will continue to be accountable to the Chief Executive of NHS Wales. The wider Wales Cancer Network is made up of members of the health boards, trusts and special health authorities.

While the onus is on health boards and trusts to respond with their own planning, the Wales Cancer Network Board will have an important role in bringing NHS bodies together to work toward common ends, collaborate where required and to generally support implementation of the Cancer Quality Statement. This will require the Wales Cancer Network to develop an enabling plan but only for those aspects of the Cancer Quality Statement that require national leadership and coordination.