Further to WQ94273, what steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that all eligible children and young people under 25 years old with cancer, and their families, are aware of and able to access financial support currently available in relation to travel costs?
The NHS is responsible for providing the travel cost reimbursement scheme. The scheme is means tested because it is intended to be based on a person’s ability to afford to travel. People should only be travelling to NHS appointments for a clinical need and so clinical need cannot be the basis of assessing eligibility for travel reimbursement. Making travel reimbursement dependent on the severity of clinical need would disadvantage those accessing healthcare for less acute conditions and exacerbate health inequality. The NHS does not have a limitless budget and schemes which support patients with the costs of accessing healthcare should provide value to taxpayers and address rather than exacerbate health inequality.
Our approach to improving cancer services is centred around the development of a set of nationally agreed pathways of care. These set out what should happen and will support NHS organisations to plan and deliver consistent, high-quality services. The national pathway for cancer among children and young people includes the need for a ‘holistic needs assessment’ and the guidance makes clear that this should include consideration of the need for financial support. It is at this point – which may occur more than once along the pathway of care – that the clinical team should signpost families to available support.
My officials have recently met with representatives of Young Lives Versus Cancer to understand concerns in relation to accessing non-emergency patient transport services for children and young people requiring oncology treatment and requested additional information from the charity regarding its research in this area. My officials have also had discussions with the Welsh Ambulance Services Trust regarding this provision and are not aware of any evidence which demonstrates immunosuppression is a barrier to using non-emergency patient transport services.