Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help improve the diagnosis rate for myeloma cancer in Devon.

We remain committed to diagnosing all cancer types earlier, including myeloma. To tackle late diagnoses, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways. There are currently 115 NSS services operating in England, including in Devon, ensuring more patients benefit from quicker access to the right investigations.

We will support the NHS to increase capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. The Government is investing an extra £26 billion in the NHS and is opening up community diagnostic centres (CDCs) at evening and weekends, to help diagnose cancer earlier.

We are now delivering additional checks, tests, and scans at 170 CDCs. There are three CDCs located within the NHS Devon Integrated Care Board, all of which deliver services 12 hours a day, seven days a week.