Cancer: Medical Treatments

(asked on 21st June 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) increase cancer treatment capacity and (b) reduce waiting times for that treatment.


Answered by
Maria Caulfield Portrait
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This question was answered on 27th June 2022

The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ states that by March 2023, the number of people waiting more than 62 days to start treatment from an urgent referral for cancer should return to pre-pandemic levels. The National Health Service will ensure that 75% of patients who have been urgently referred by their general practitioner for suspected cancer will be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days by March 2024.

The Department has committed an additional £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 for the recovery of elective services, including cancer treatments. This is in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million targeted Investment Fund made available to increase capacity and prioritise cancer services. The Department has also provided £20 million to Cancer Alliances to meet the needs of cancer patients.

Reticulating Splines