Select committee: Health and Social Care Committee
Conclusion 5
Twelfth Report - Cancer services
Published 5 Apr 2022
Paragraph 61
Addressed to Department of Health and Social Care
Health and Social Care Committee Cancer services All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We understand the rationale for simplifying the Cancer Waiting Times standards. It is important that NHS cancer services are given a clear set of targets to achieve and that these targets are the ones that are most important to patients. However, we note that there are no current plans to increase the target for 28-day faster diagnosis standard performance from 75% to 95%, given the importance of providing patients with a quick diagnosis of cancer.
From: Health and Social Care Committee, Twelfth Report - Cancer services (HC 551), paragraph 61, 5 April 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 13 June 2022 (deadline 5 June 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out work under way on early diagnosis, screening, diagnostics and treatment, says it is "premature to suggest that progress is off track" on the 75% early diagnosis ambition, and points to the forthcoming 10 Year Cancer Plan on several recommendations.
- On the 75% early diagnosis ambition by 2028, the government says it is "premature to suggest that progress is off track", noting that the full impact of its interventions was "always going to come through in the later years".
- On diagnostic capacity, it states that £2.3 billion is being invested to "roll out up to 160 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) by March 2025", modelled to provide an additional 200 MRIs, just under 300 CTs and around 160 endoscopy rooms.
- On the diagnostic workforce, it refers to the forthcoming 10 Year Cancer Plan and says the Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a workforce strategy, whose conclusions it "will set out ... in due course".
- On radiotherapy, it says there is "no clear case for expanding the radiotherapy equipment fleet in England", and that a review of radiotherapy payment arrangements is "expected to be in place from April 2023".