Funding committed for Systematic Anti-Cancer Therapy (SACT) and Acute Oncology: FOI release

Information requested

Information in regards to the £10million committed for SACT and Acute Oncology as outlined in the National Workforce Strategy.

1. Of the £10 million committed for SACT and Acute Oncology – as outlined in the National Workforce Strategy – how much has been paid out to Health Boards to date? Please outline the amount allocated to each board, and the date the payment was made. Please also outline the process for awarding funding. For example, do health boards have to bid for funding, or is each health board allocated a fixed amount?

2. Please confirm the lifecycle of the funding outlined in the National Workforce Strategy. Is it to be spread over one financial year or more? If more, please outline the number of financial years the funding will be spread over, and the amount allocated for each financial year.

3. Please confirm whether the additional funding for SACT and acute oncology is fixed at £10 million, or whether it could reach less than £10 million. If it is anticipated that the funding will reach less than £10 million, please outline the reason for this.

Response

I have included the information below to answer your questions:

1. Initial allocations are currently being processed for the first year funding of £1.5 million. This funding is being allocated on a regional basis using the National Resource Allocation formula.

2. The funding will be released on a phased approach reaching the total commitment by 2026/27. The amount allocated for each financial year will be determined through normal budgetary processes.

3. We anticipate the funding to go up to £10.5 million by 2026/27.

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