I thank the Opposition Front Benches for being so gracious given the fact that we notified them late and did not use the correct procedure. I apologise for that once again and I know that the Bill team also apologises for it. We are all on a steep learning curve, as I am sure all noble Lords acknowledge. I thank both noble Baronesses. I hope the lesson has been learned, and we will not have an excuse next time.
I will address Amendment 294 before I come to our amendments. I thank my noble friend Lord Moylan for tabling it. To reassure him, the pancreatic cancer audit is included in the national cancer audit collaborating centre tender, which is currently live. Some reporting timelines are included in the specification for this audit, developed in partnership with NHS England and NHS Improvement, but I am told that during a live tender the document is commercially sensitive and cannot be shared beyond the commissioning team, as this could risk jeopardising the procurement process. The future contract is anticipated to start in autumn of this year. However, it is not possible to confirm the timelines for a new national audit topic for pancreatic cancer until the procurement completes and the contractual deliverables are signed. Unfortunately, therefore, this cannot be aligned with the passing of the Act.
My noble friend will be aware that NICE clinical guideline NG85 recommends that pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, or PERT, should be offered to patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer and that consideration should be given to offering PERT before
and after tumour removal. NICE acknowledges that this is a priority area for improving the quality of health and social care and has included PERT in its quality standard on pancreatic cancer.
We have taken and will continue to take steps to support Pancreatic Cancer UK’s campaign to encourage greater uptake of PERT by doctors treating pancreatic cancer patients, in line with NICE guidance. We are in the process of commissioning a PC audit and, while the scope of this is not confirmed, we will certainly include this in the scoping of the topic. As I said, NICE acknowledges this as a priority area and, while its guidelines are not mandatory for healthcare professionals, the NHS is expected to take them fully into account in ensuring that services meet the needs of patients.
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Turning to the government amendments, I start by thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, and the noble Baroness, Lady Morgan of Drefelin, who very helpfully stepped in when there were some potential misunderstandings around the amendment we laid. I thank her for her assistance on this matter and for explaining it.
We all want to see improved cancer outcomes and I am pleased that the NHS is committed to this. This is reflected in the current NHS Long Term Plan ambition to improve both early diagnosis and survival. One of the examples my noble friend Lord Vaizey gave was prostate cancer. When I was in the European Parliament and started to use the Belgian health service, I was advised to go and see a urologist. I said, “Why do I need to see a urologist?” and they said that, in Belgium, men over 45 are recommended to have an annual check-up in case of prostate cancer. It is very different in this country. That shows the importance of early diagnosis and how we can promote it. Raising awareness is also important. I saw reports the other day about potential annual screening for prostate cancer and no longer relying on just the PSA test.
With these amendments, the Secretary of State would continue to set objectives relating to outcomes for cancer patients in future mandates, to reflect the priorities that the elected Government of the day have for NHS England, but working in partnership with the cancer charities and cancer experts.