The petition calling for a Welsh Cancer Fund was presented to the Prime Minister at Westminster last week.

Having been handed over to the Welsh Assembly on 5th November with a "disappointing response," the key people behind the petition travelled down to London from Usk with Monmouth MP David Davies and met David Cameron.

Featuring almost 100,000 signatures, the petition asks for a fund to be set up providing money specifically for cancer drugs, similar to the one in England, worth about £280 million a year.

Currently, cancer patients from Wales who need life-prolonging drugs go up in front of a review panel to see if they will receive funding for their treatment.

With many other patients suffering from a number of illnesses, cases are often rejected.

The campaign was set up by Julie McGowan after her friend Ann Wilkinson was turned down for funding.

Appalled at the situation, Julie started the petition to ensure that cancer sufferers either side of the border receive the drugs their oncologists prescribe.

The two friends, along with other members of the One Voice for Wales campaign handed over the petition at Number 10 and received a far more positive response than at the Welsh Assembly earlier in the month.

Julie McGowan stressed the campaign was not criticising nurses and oncologists, but sought to raise awareness of the problem faced by cancer sufferers.

"The Prime Minister rightly paid tribute to NHS staff in Wales," she said.

"We fully agree that the second class treatment we are getting is a direct result of the political decisions being taken in Cardiff and not because of a lack of commitment from health workers, many of whom have urged us to keep campaigning.

"We are very grateful to the Prime Minister for listening and to our MP David Davies for arranging this."

Mr Davies stressed the importance of the campaign saying: "Fighting for our Welsh NHS" remained one of his top priorities.

"It is appalling that in Wales we have longer waiting lists, worse ambulance response times and no access to a cancer drugs fund," he added.

"As chair of the Welsh Affairs Committee, I am conducting an inquiry into the differences in cross-border healthcare. 

"I can assure you that this campaign will continue until our NHS offers Welsh patients the same standards as English patients."

Outside the famous door, a number of patients gathered showing their support for the petition. Some have had to move to England to get treatment they would not have access to otherwise.

Ann is in the same situation after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. She has fought to obtain the life-prolonging drug Avastin after an initial funding application was refused by Aneurin Bevan Health Board.

"I have lived in Wales for 28 years with my husband Allan after moving from Yorkshire," she said.

"We were basically told we would have to go back to Yorkshire for me to get this treatment, which can't be right. Sadly, many others are in the same position.

"When we delivered the petition to the Senedd some weeks ago, the Welsh Health Minister refused to meet us and we weren't listened to. 

"I was therefore delighted that the Prime Minister took the trouble to listen to our concerns.

"The Welsh Government needs to see what is being done in England and offer the same."

Julie commented after the trip that the day was very hectic but also very worthwhile.

"We want to stress that the campaign for equal access to cancer treatments won't stop here.

"The most poignant part of the day was meeting the group of Welsh cancer patients and their families who had made the trek to Downing Street to support the handing-in of the petition.

"Patients as ill as this shouldn't have to be doing this amount of campaigning to get the treatment those in England receive."

Meeting the Prime Minister was all a bit of a rush, fitted in between other appointments, but Julie was far more impressed with the response from Westminster than the Senedd.

"We felt listened to by the British Government. Meeting David Cameron had to be squeezed in as he dashed from one meeting to another, but he immediately engaged in conversation that was spot-on in terms of what we are asking for.

"We were also assured of a reply to our petition from Downing Street – something else we have never had from the Assembly.

"David Davies and his office worked hard to ensure the day went well and Ann and her husband Allan were well looked-after.

"None of us are politically motivated – we are delighted when we receive support from any party."

For more information on the campaign, visit http://www.face">www.face

book.com/groups/OneVoiceforWales

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: "We have no plans to introduce a cancer drugs fund in Wales. Even England is now reconsidering if some drugs currently available through its cancer drugs fund should be removed from the list due to rising costs.

"A cancer drugs fund undermines the established system for the assessment of medicines for use in the NHS in Wales and provides patients in England with access to drugs which are neither clinically nor cost effective, according to its own chairman.

"We spend more per head on cancer than England and a report in the highly-respected British Journal of Cancer shows Wales has a faster uptake of the drugs most recently launched and then recommended by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). The cancer experience survey conducted by Macmillan shows satisfaction levels with cancer services in Wales which put Welsh hospitals at the top of the European league.

"We believe patients should receive cost-effective and evidence-based treatment and care to meet their clinical needs. To do that, the NHS is guided by recommendations from NICE and the All Wales Medicines Strategy Group, which make decisions based on evidence, input from clinicians, health professionals and patients."