Cancer: Medical Treatments

Mr. Baron
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS cancer patients have made top-up payments for treatments since the arrangements for such payments were implemented.

Mr. Mike O'Brien
The Department does not hold figures for the number of national health service patients who choose to purchase additional private care.

However, this will be looked at as part of a national audit of the demand for unfunded drugs. The audit, which was recommended by Professor Sir Mike Richards's review, ‘Improving access to medicines for NHS patients’, is currently being developed and is expected to report in the spring of 2011.