Following the announcement from the Health Secretary in July 2010, a cancer drugs fund has been established as a means of improving access to new cancer drugs which are not routinely available on the NHS.

This new system of funding has been introduced from 1st April 2011, and will run for a period of three years, until March 2014. This fund is known as the Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF).

How does the Cancer Drugs Fund work in London?

The arrangements for London's Cancer Drugs Fund were agreed in discussion with cancer patients and their carers, oncologists, haemato-oncologists, pharmacists, PCTs, acute hospitals, and London's five cancer networks.

Detailed information on the arrangements for the Cancer Drugs Fund in London can be found here.

How much money has the London region been allocated in 2012/13?

Each Strategic Health Authority in England has been allocated a sum of money based on the population of its region. The London region has been allocated £30.4m of the total £200m in 2012/13.

What drugs are available through the London Cancer Drugs Fund?

As this fund comprises a fixed, limited amount of money, clear decisions have had to be taken regarding how the fund is used.

The London Cancer New Drugs Group (LCNDG) is a clinically-led panel of experts which makes decisions on the most appropriate use of resources and approves funding requests. This panel has recommended a list of drugs to be funded from the Cancer Drugs Fund, based on clinical evidence and the delivery of outcomes related to survival and quality of life.

During the year the LCNDG will follow a workplan to consider new drugs or new evidence of effectiveness and make recommendations on whether changes should be made to the approved list of drugs to be funded. When this happens, a revised list of approved drugs will be published.

The latest approved list of drugs can be found here.

The workplan for the LCNDG can be found here.

How can patients access the Cancer Drugs Fund?

Patients access the Cancer Drugs Fund through their cancer doctors, and individual patients should continue to discuss treatment options with their cancer specialist to decide what the best treatment is for them. All decisions are based on the advice of cancer specialists who are treating the patients themselves.

I'm a doctor how do I access the Cancer Drugs Fund for one of my patients?

Applications should be made directly to your local cancer network which can also provide you with further information.

How many patients have accessed the Cancer Drugs Fund, and how much has been spent so far?

Latest activity data for the London Cancer Drugs Fund from 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2012 can be found here.

INTERIM CANCER DRUGS FUND

The Interim Cancer Drugs Fund (ICDF) preceded the current Cancer Drugs Fund, and was in place from 1 October 2010 to 31 March 2011.

In London 443 patient applications to the ICDF - 96% of all applications - were approved at a projected cost of 4,713,035.

A detailed report into London's Interim Cancer Drugs Fund can be found here.