Huddersfield MP Harpreet Uppal has welcomed the launch of the Government’s National Cancer Plan and celebrated the quality of services already being provided in Huddersfield.

In Parliament, during a statement to the House on the publication of the National Cancer Plan, Harpreet highlighted cancer care that is already being provided locally.

Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust continues to be ranked as one of the best performing trusts in the country for meeting cancer waiting times.

In her question to the Minister, Harpreet emphasised the importance of building on the good practice already happening in Huddersfield, and asked Ministers how they would use this as an example to deliver the National Cancer Plan and improve services for more patients across our local area and the country.

Harpreet also raised her recent visit to the brand-new Emily Siddon NHS Community Diagnostic Centre on the National Health Innovation Campus at the University of Huddersfield.

This centre combines a diagnostic centre with a state-of-the-art training space for students, and will be open for MRIs, CT scans, ECGs and X-rays.

The doors have already opened to train diagnostic radiography students, and the centre will open to the public very soon.

Following her question, Harpreet said: “I am so proud of what is being delivered in Huddersfield and I want to pay tribute to all our NHS staff.

“I was pleased to hear from the Minister that the Government plan to take the best of the NHS, including the work taking place in Huddersfield, to the rest of the NHS.

“The new Emily Siddon Building is the first of its kind in the country, and I am really excited for it to open fully to students and the public very soon. I know how much some of these measures will mean to local people and families.”

The National Cancer Plan includes a £2.3 billion investment to deliver 9.5 million more tests and scans, £10 million a year to cover travel costs to and from treatment for young people with cancer, and improved bowel cancer screening to catch thousands more cases earlier.

Additionally, under the Government’s National Cancer Plan, every patient will get a Personalised Cancer Plan that looks beyond just treatment and diagnosis to cover the full impact of cancer on their life.

This will cover mental health support, treatment and advice on returning to work, as well as guidance at the end of the treatment journey.

This will be supported by the introduction of Neighbourhood Care Leads – who by 2035, will be responsible for joining up services for individuals – meaning no more being passed from pillar to post.

Neeraj Bhasin, medical director at Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our patients are the absolute focus of what our cancer teams do.

“The teams are dedicated to making sure people get high-quality care, in a timely way to give the best possible outcomes.

“Clinical colleagues, including Cancer Nurse Specialists, Allied Health Professionals, cancer navigators and pathway trackers, work in partnership with our patients to give a prompt diagnosis, quicker treatment and ongoing support, in a compassionate and personalised way.

“They have re-designed pathways, introduced new diagnostic models and straight-to-test initiatives, as well as decision support tools to help clinicians make faster, better-informed decisions.

“It is their fantastic work which means that we are consistently one of the top performing Trusts for cancer care.

“They continue to develop the way we deliver care to best support our patients, such as bringing diagnostic testing closer to home in the community, through our new Southgate Community Diagnostic Centre in Huddersfield.”

See the full National Cancer Plan here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cancer-plan-for-england