South Lakes MP Tim Farron led a cross-party delegation of MPs to meet with the health minister Steve Brine to make the case for extra investment into radiotherapy treatment.
Tim, who is the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Radiotherapy, told the minister that low investment was leading to the UK having some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe.
One in four people will need radiotherapy treatment at some point in their lifetime but at the moment the NHS spends only 5% of its cancer budget on radiotherapy services.
Tim also raised the need for more satellite radiotherapy units in places like South Cumbria, where cancer patients have to travel over an hour to their nearest radiotherapy unit in Preston.
Tim said: “It was great to meet with the minister to make the case with colleagues from all different political parties for a much-needed boost to radiotherapy services in England.
“It was a very constructive meeting where the minister acknowledged the significant benefits of radiotherapy treatment and agreed that travel times do have a big impact on outcomes for patients.
“Hopefully this will prove to be an important step in our campaign for everyone in our country to have good access to this life-saving treatment.”
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