Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps is the Department taking to promote earlier detection, ensure dentists, GPs and other frontline health professionals are trained to identify early warning signs, and improve timely diagnosis and referral for treatment in relation to mouth cancer.

We know that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for patients with mouth cancer. Our forthcoming National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and will include further details on how we will speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately drive up this country’s cancer survival rates.

To support earlier and faster cancer diagnosis, we are now delivering additional checks, tests, and scans at 170 community diagnostic centres.

Additionally, to help increase early detection of cancer, the Government has recently launched Jess’s Rule, an initiative that asks general practitioners (GPs) to think again if, after three appointments, they have been unable to diagnose a patient, or their symptoms have escalated.

We are also investing an additional £889 million in GPs, bringing total spend on the GP Contract to £13.2 billion in 2025/26. This will help to ensure that we have a well-trained and well-equipped primary care service that can take the time to provide quality care to patients around the country.

Dentists and other dental professionals, including hygienists, routinely check the soft tissues of a patient’s mouth for signs of cancer during dental visits and, as part of the check-up, will make an assessment and record an individual’s oral cancer risk. Dentists will prioritise patients at a higher risk of oral cancer for more frequent recall and review in line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.