The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer

I'm pleased to confirm that I have been re-elected Chair of the APPG on Cancer. ​The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer (APPGC) aims to be the voice in Parliament of cancer patients and their families, and campaigns on multiple issues, including early diagnosis, workforce, rarer cancers and patient experience.

I am delighted to be continuing my role as Chair of the APPG on Cancer. I was first elected into this position at the beginning of last year. The past 12 months have been incredibly busy for the APPG - here is just some of what we did:

• In October, I, along with Tim Farron MP (Chair of the APPG on Radiotherapy) and Grahame Morris MP (Vice-Chair) met with the Secretary of State, Matt Hancock MP, to discuss the backlog and recovery of services
• Myself, Officers and Members kept cancer on the agenda in Parliament, and we successfully pushed to get the Government to work on a National Recovery Plan
• The APPGC met with the Cancer Minister, Jo Churchill MP, to meet with the APPGC and the Chairs of the Cancer APPGs in January of this year to discuss the National Cancer Recovery Plan.
• As Chair, I have met with people with cancer throughout the year, I spoke at Macmillan Cancer Support’s virtual lobby day in the summer about the impact of the COVID-19, and I was invited to speak to Cancer Research UK’s Ambassadors, as part of their ‘Summer of Campaigning’ event series.
• We held a productive Officers meeting to discuss the APPGC’s future work to support people living with cancer in Parliament through the pandemic, including some exciting work planned for 2021.
• In May, the APPGC wrote a joint letter to the Secretary of State, from the Chairs of the Cancer APPGs, calling for the restoration of cancer services after the first wave of the pandemic.
• We’ve supported the work of various charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, Catch Up with Cancer, Cancer Research UK, CLIC Sargent, Jo’s Trust, Breast Cancer Now, Teenage Cancer Trust, Brain Tumour Research and Pancreatic Cancer UK - to name a few!

I'm looking forward to continuing to build on the work the APPGC has already done. 

Going forward, the APPGC will be focussing on the following areas:

• Addressing the backlog in cancer diagnosis, care and treatment
• The cancer workforce 
• Financial cost of Cancer

As Chair of the APPGC I will do everything I can to be a powerful voice in Parliament for the cancer community and the organisations that support them. We will not let cancer be forgotten during the pandemic and beyond.

Information and support

• Find out more about the APPG on Cancer here
• If you’ve noticed a change in your body, or feel something isn’t right, call your GP – they want to hear from you. Don’t worry, you’re not making a fuss. It’s probably nothing, but best get it checked.
  
• Swansea Bay University Health Board Cancer services
• If you are living with Cancer, or know someone who is, and need some support, a list of services is available here