300 new breast cancer projects

HEALTH

More than 300 new projects to provide speedier diagnosis and better treatment for women with suspected breast cancer have been announced by the the Government.

Baroness Jay, the health minister, published details of the projects which will be funded from savings in NHS bureaucracy. The Government announced in May that pounds 10m of the planned pounds 100m savings would be devoted to improved care of breast cancer.

The projects will include one-stop clinics, so that women with suspected cancer can be tested and get their results on the same day. Extra specialist nurses and surgeons will be employed and waiting lists reduced.

Baroness Jay said: "This extra money will ensure that women have access to state of the art treatment for breast cancer wherever they might live."

The Cancer Research Campaign said: "We believe the treatment women get is a lottery depending on where they live. They deserve better and this should change that."