Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the reasons for shortages in chemotherapy nurses in Oxfordshire; and if he will make a statement.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust continues to meet operational standards for providing cancer care to its patients. The most recent figures for Q2 2017/18 show:

- Two Week Wait from GP Urgent Referral to First Consultant Appointment: 96.9% (operational standard 95%);

- One Month Wait from a Decision to Treat to a First Treatment for Cancer: 97.0% (operational standard 95%); and

- Two Month Wait from GP Urgent Referral to a First Treatment for Cancer: 85.1% (operational standard 85%).

We are committed to improving the capability and capacity of the cancer workforce in England. Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan on 5 December 2017, setting out plans to increase the numbers working in cancer care, speeding up diagnoses and treatment.

Macmillan Cancer Support are currently carrying out a Specialist Adult Cancer Nurse Census

to understand the current size and location of the specialist cancer nurse workforce. This will

enable HEE to develop a much more comprehensive picture of how many specialist nurses are working in cancer and what further action and investment might be required to ensure timely and good quality patient care and experience.