Macmillan wants to know where the money is going

Macmillan Cancer Relief welcomed the �570m the government is putting in to cancer services by 2004.

But it says there are serious faults in the system which mean funding is not reaching the services which need it.

Macmillan is calling for urgent action to stop the money being spent on other priorities - such as NHS debts.

Just get the money to the sharp end Peter Madeley, Macmillan Cancer Relief

The charity asked 28 Strategic Health Authorities for details of how they would spend their portion of the cancer funding.

Only 11 were able to provide details of their spending for 2003 to 2004, and just five could give details for spending up to 2006.

Four provided a breakdown of their cancer budgets and four said their budget details were available to the public on their website.

Tracking money

Macmillan chief executive Peter Cardy said: "Despite the government's best intentions, and a welcome extra �570m for cancer services by 2004, the challenge remains.

"The government must be seen to get the money spent where it's meant in a way that makes it count for patients.

"It can be done, but only if investment is tracked effectively."

The charity is calling on the government to act on four key recommendations.

It wants:-

• A commitment to improve how the NHS tracks cancer funding - and a pledge to report findings to Parliament,
• A mechanism for tracking investment and how patients benefit,
• Publicity to show how cancer funding is spent locally,
• Patient involvement in planning and tracking investment.

Drugs inquiry

Pete Madeley, chair of Macmillan's Cancer Voices steering committee, added: "As a patient, I see the challenge, but I don't see the difficulty.

"Just get the money to the sharp end, by tracking its journey and auditing its real use. "

But Cancer Czar Mike Richards said a tracking exercise completed in March had shown that spending on cancer treatment over the previous two years had been "precisely on target".

He said he expected a similar exercise this year would show that the money was going where it should.