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 whether NHS England’s diagnostic imaging turnaround time guidance is sufficient to meet the needs of patients with a recognised terminal diagnosis.

While no specific assessment has been made of diagnostic imaging turnaround time guidance and the needs of patients with a recognised terminal diagnosis or the impact of separate reporting time standards, the Government is committed to reducing waiting times for all patients and expects providers to communicate findings in a compassionate manner.

NHS England has established diagnostic reporting turnaround time guidance that applies to all patients. For diagnostic imaging tests, including computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging scans, the guidance states that verified reports should be available within four weeks of image acquisition. Performance against turnaround times is monitored through routine national reporting. In addition, cancer pathways are supported by national cancer waiting time standards, including the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which aims to ensure that patients receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out promptly following an urgent suspected cancer referral. The Faster Diagnosis Standard applies to urgent referrals for suspected cancer recurrence.

We are developing a Modern Service Framework (MSF) for Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care. The MSF is a clinically led, evidence-based framework to support sustained improvement in outcomes for patients and carers, including by systematically identifying, measuring, and reducing health inequalities, and reducing unwarranted variation in access, experience, and outcomes. Further metrics and associated targets will build on the 2029 ambitions set out in the Neighbourhood Health Framework.