Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the (a) National Cancer Plan and (b) 10 Year Workforce Plan on the capacity for cancer diagnostic services to meet the (i) current workforce shortfall, (ii) level of demand from an increase in cancer cases and (iii) the expansion of screening programmes to include national targeted lung screening.

This Government is committed to ensuring our workforce is fit for purpose, including to diagnose and treat cancer. As of August 2025, there are almost 70% more staff in the key cancer professions of clinical oncology, gastro-enterology, medical oncology, histopathology, clinical radiology, diagnostic and therapeutic radiography than in 2010. There are also more doctors working in clinical oncology and more radiology doctors compared to last year.

We will work with the university sector and colleagues across Government to ensure that we train the doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals that we need and maximise the contribution that our great research institutions make to the country. Over the next three years, we will create 1,000 new specialty training posts with a focus on specialties where there is greatest need.

The 10-Year Health Plan sets out that to deliver a workforce fit for the future we need a new, sustainable approach to workforce planning. Our 10 Year Workforce Plan will set out action to how we will create a workforce ready to deliver a transformed service for patients when and where they need it.

Furthermore, the National Cancer Plan will look at how we can reform the current workforce to utilise it as effectively as possible and to provide a workforce able to meet cancer demand of the future. The National Cancer Plan will align with the 10 Year Workforce Plan to take into consideration expected demand for cancer over the next ten years. By ensuring we have the necessary staff with the right skills, we will support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer earlier and treat it faster and improve patients’ experience across the system.