Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients in Lincolnshire have waited longer than 28 days to receive diagnostic tests related to cancer.

The Department does not routinely publish data on the volume of patients who have waited longer than 28 days for a diagnostic result. However, NHS England does collect and publish data on the 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS). The FDS aims to ensure that patients are diagnosed or cleared of cancer within 28 days of an urgent referral.

For the Lincolnshire Integrated Care Board, 70.9% of patients received a cancer diagnosis or all clear within 28 days in March 2026. This is below the Operational Planning Guidance which set National Health Service systems a target of 80% by March 2026. All cancer waiting times data can be found on the NHS England website at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/