GUILDFORD MP KEEPS PROMISE TO HELP GET CANCER MONEY SPENT WHERE ITS MEANT

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 13th Mar 2003

Sue Doughty, MP for Guildford, is keeping her promise to support Macmillan Cancer Relief's campaign to ensure cancer services money reaches the frontline and gets spent where it's meant. She is one of over 70 MPs, from all parties, who is acting on a pledge to use her local influence to help ensure the new three-year NHS budgets deliver quality cancer services for local people

Sue has written to the Chief Executive of the Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority to ask what is being done to strengthen the system for tracking cancer money. This is crucial not just for making sure resources actually reach cancer services, but also for ensuring they get to those specific services that make the most difference to the quality of life of people living with cancer.

Sue said:

"Macmillan's "Get It Spent Where It's Meant" campaign is important because it's about helping to improve further the cancer services here in Guildford. Greater transparency in how we track resources is in everyone's interest."

"It's in the interest of people living with cancer in Guildford, so that they can be reassured that money is going to the services that improve their experience of cancer treatment and the care and support they are given. It's in the interest of the NHS because it means more people will know about the excellent work local cancer services are doing day in and day out. And I want the information so that I can help spread that good news story and, where necessary, work with people living with cancer and the NHS to make our local cancer services even better. I would like to thank the Strategic Health Authority and Cancer Network for their continuing help in keeping me in the picture. It is vital that we all work together to get it spent where it's meant."