Skin cancer services in 'desperate need of support'

A Liberal Democrat MP says the state of cancer services is "shocking and tragic" after calling on the government to exempt high-factor sun cream from VAT.

Daisy Cooper, health spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats, says skin cancer services are in "desperate need of support".

She wants the government to introduce a guarantee that all patients will be able to start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral.

One patient attending the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH) said they were left facing a wait of 345 days for an "urgent" appointment.

Data from 49 NHS hospital trusts found some patients on waiting lists for skin cancer treatment were waiting for longer than 62 days to start treatment.

The party also wants to see more cancer nurses recruited so every patient has a dedicated specialist supporting them.

Ms Cooper, MP for St Albans, said: "We are seeing people up and down the country left waiting far too long for the care they need.

"This recent hot weather should serve as a stark reminder that skin cancer services are in desperate need of support and the staggering increase in referrals shows we must do more to prevent people from getting skin cancer in the first place."

She said VAT should be cut on high-factor protective sunscreen making it affordable for people to protect themselves from skin cancer.

"We need to ensure that all patients start treatment as soon as possible and this government needs to make recruiting more cancer nurses a top priority."

A spokesperson from the Department of Health and Social Care, said it was "determined" to change how long cancer patients are waiting for treatment.

"As part of our mission to get the NHS back on its feet, we will improve cancer survival rates by hitting all NHS cancer waiting time and early diagnosis targets within five years."

It said for certain conditions, high-factor sunscreen is available on prescription and is already VAT free when dispensed to these patients by a pharmacist.

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