MP calls for national plan to tackle Rotherham cancer rates

Responding to Yorkshire Cancer Research's estimate that approximately 700 cancer cases in Rotherham each year are preventable, she has added her support to the Change Yorkshire's Cancer Story campaign which wants the government to deliver a long-term national cancer plan to address the issue.

In her letter to the secretary of state for health, Wes Streeting, Ms Champion said the data for the Yorkshire region and Rotherham “demonstrates the need for immediate action.”

“Rotherham has some of the highest rates [of cancer] in the Yorkshire region and we also know here that one in two cancers are diagnosed at a late stage meaning they are harder to treat and may have poorer survival outcomes,” she said.

Pointing to research which found a consistent national cancer policy correlates positively with improvements in survival, she said: 'That is why I am supporting the call by Yorkshire Cancer Research in their Change Yorkshire's Cancer Story campaign for the Government to deliver a long-term national cancer plan, where early diagnosis is a priority, so more people can access pioneering screening services and more lives can be saved.

“Significantly, Yorkshire Cancer Research estimates that approximately 700 cancer cases are preventable in Rotherham each year.'

She urged the government to take its commitment to NHS reform one step further and pledge to deliver a long-term plan for tackling cancer, adding: “It is so very much needed for our region and Rotherham.”