JILL MORTIMER: More research is needed to reduce the number of childhood cancer deaths

Most of you will know that one of my key campaigns is to bring jobs, businesses and investment to Hartlepool, which is why I was so delighted to visit HartlePower recently.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Apr 2022, 00:00 BST
“The need to get GPs back working face-to-face so that diseases such as childhood cancer can be spotted and diagnosed as early as possible.”“The need to get GPs back working face-to-face so that diseases such as childhood cancer can be spotted and diagnosed as early as possible.”
“The need to get GPs back working face-to-face so that diseases such as childhood cancer can be spotted and diagnosed as early as possible.”

The team at HartlePower are championing local businesses here in Hartlepool – providing support and advice for smaller up-and-coming companies as well as providing business-advice to those who those are taking on voluntary initiatives.

HartlePower have also taken full advantage of our Government’s Kickstart Scheme and it was a pleasure to chat with some of the young people the scheme has benefited. This forward-thinking enterprise clearly understands the importance of opportunity, not only for the businesses it supports but for people as well.

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This week I was part of the backbench debate on childhood cancer – which I know has devastating effects for our young people and their families, and of which I have personal experience.

I spoke in the debate not only on behalf of my cousin Becky who died aged four after a brave fight with leukaemia, but for my constituent Amy and her daughter Isabellah who was diagnosed with a rhabdomyosarcoma and who thankfully no longer has any evidence of the disease.

While often described as rare, cancer leads to the death of four children every week and I firmly believe that more research is needed to reduce this number.

Alongside investing more in childhood cancer research to improve outcomes there are things we can do now to help beat this disease, such as ensuring GPs are back working face-to-face so that diseases such as childhood cancer can be spotted and diagnosed as early as possible.

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A few weeks ago, the Government announced an additional £993,000 for Hartlepool as part of the Household Support Fund – it is great news that the local council has now released how this extra funding is going to be spent.

A one-off £70 payment to all pensioner households eligible for council tax support is due to launch in the summer, alongside a pre-loaded £60 supermarket card for all children aged two-18 eligible for free school meals.

The remainder of the fund will be used to help with other household essentials, for example through the distribution of fuel bank vouchers or food parcels. Visit the following webpage for more information on the fund: https://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/household-support-fund

Related topics:HartlepoolJill MortimerGovernment