Liberal Democrats call for VAT cut on sunscreen to combat skin cancer

The Liberal Democrats called on the government to reduce VAT on high-factor sunscreens in order to reduce skin cancer rates.

The party claims that exempting high-factor sunscreens from VAT would make them more affordable and thus lead to increased use.

They also advocate for a more comprehensive package of measures to shorten cancer treatment times, including the recruitment of additional cancer nurses.

Data from 49 NHS hospitals asking about the number of patients on waiting lists for skin cancer treatment and a breakdown of waiting times to start treatment showed that many patients were waiting longer than the standard 62 days to start treatment.

A patient at Norwich and Norfolk NHS Trust had to wait 345 days after being referred for urgent treatment.

Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats and health spokeswoman, said the state of cancer care in the UK was “shocking and tragic”.

She said: “We are seeing that people across the country are having to wait far too long for the care they need.

“The recent hot weather should serve as a stark reminder that skin cancer care urgently needs support, and the alarming rise in referrals shows that we need to do more to prevent people from developing skin cancer in the first place.

“This means we need to make it affordable for people to protect themselves from skin cancer by reducing VAT on high factor sunscreens and requiring major retailers to pass the financial benefit on to consumers.”
“The Liberal Democrats have put forward a comprehensive plan to tackle the cancer care crisis.

“We need to ensure that all patients start treatment as soon as possible and this Government must make recruiting more cancer nurses a top priority.

“The Conservatives have left our NHS in a disastrous state. Now we need a new government that listens to people and gives them the services they deserve.”

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the new government to introduce a guarantee that 100% of patients can start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral. The party is also calling on ministers to recruit more cancer nurses so that every patient has a dedicated specialist supporting them throughout their treatment.

According to a survey for Melanoma Focus, 50% of people think sunscreen is too expensive and one in ten say they don't use it because of the cost.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “We have inherited a broken NHS.

“Too many cancer patients wait too long for treatment and we are determined to change that.

“As part of our mission to get the NHS back on its feet, we will improve cancer survival rates by achieving all NHS targets for waiting times and early diagnosis within five years.

“High sun protection factor sunscreens are on the NHS prescription list for certain medical conditions and are already VAT-free when dispensed by the pharmacist to these patients.”