Macmillan launches General Election campaign at Parliamentary question time
3 minute read time.
FormerMember
Macmillan’s Parliamentary question time at Westminster is always a hot ticket. And this year, with local elections approaching and General Election 2015 barely 12 months away, there was plenty to debate and discuss.
So it was appropriate that this year’s Macmillan Parliamentary question time also saw the launch of Macmillan’s State of the Nation report and its General Election campaign, with three calls for the next government to:
commit to delivering cancer outcomes that match the best in Europe by the end of the Parliament
Ciarán Devane, Macmillan’s chief executive, welcomed us to the third annual Macmillan Parliamentary question time and introduced the panel:
Andy Burnham MP, Labour Shadow Secretary of State for Health
Paul Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat former Health Minister
John Baron MP, Conservative Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer
Jane Maher, Macmillan’s Chief Medical Officer
You can watch a video of the Macmillan Parliamentary question time 2014
Ciarán kept the panel on track and ensured many of us were able to put additional questions to the panel. And credit to Ciarán for chairing the panel in such a balanced manner and managing not to chip in with his own views!
We had plenty to say and were determined to make good use of the opportunity to share our own experiences with the panel. The questions and discussion covered a range of topics, including:
end of life care
early diagnosis
improving patient experience
coordination of care
support for people after treatment finishes.
I got to ask a question about end of life care and what more can be done to ensure we have the support and care we need at the end of life. It was a question submitted by another cancer patient and I was pleased I could raise such an important issue on her behalf.
This event was our chance to tell politicians about our many and different experiences of cancer, and how we would like to see cancer treatment and care to be developed. If you’d like to be involved in Macmillan’s General Election campaign, you can find out more here. And keep an eye out for next year’s Macmillan Parliamentary question time. I’ve really enjoyed being part of the day in the past two years and I hope to see some of you at next year’s Macmillan Parliamentary question time!
Get involved
If, like me, you want to help Macmillan demand better outcomes for people affected by cancer, you can sign up to be an e-campaigner and keep up-to-date with Macmillan’s campaigns on the campaigns blog.
