Faster treatment pledge for cancer

Faster treatment for cancer, and provision for more cancer specialists were being hailed today by Health Secretary Alan Milburn in an attempt to show progress in improving the NHS.

But the announcement was overshadowed by the continuing confusion over whether or not the Government wants to match the spending of other European countries on health.

Tony Blair appeared to retreat on a pledge he gave last week to match the EU average health expenditure by 2005. In an interview at the weekend, he said he had been speaking only in "broad terms".

Professor Mike Richards, the Government's cancer czar said that from next month, patients will have a maximum one month wait between being referred by their GP to treatment, for children's and testicular cancers and acute leukaemia.

He said real progress was being made on improving cancer services in the UK. By the end of the year, there would be 400 more specialists than there were two years ago, he said.

Meanwhile, Gordon Brown yesterday refused to rule out tax rises to pay for health, and would not say whether he would consider raising the ceiling for national insurance contributions.