Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will include an assessment of the number of interventional (a) oncologists and (b) radiologists that will be needed in the future in the NHS workforce strategy.

NHS England is implementing the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase one and is investing an additional £50 million in 2023/24 to expand the cancer and diagnostics workforce, including postgraduate medical training of cancer-related medical professions, such as oncologists and interventional radiologists.

The Government has also committed to publishing the Long Term Workforce Plan shortly. This will include projections for the number of doctors, nurses and other professionals that will be needed, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity.

This plan will help ensure that we have the right numbers of staff, with the right skills, to transform and deliver high quality services fit for the future.