Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the £1.55 billion funding for diagnostics to support constitutional standards as set out in NHS England's capital guidance 2026/27 to 2029/30, published on 17 November 2025, what assessment they have made of the extent to which that funding will contribute to achieving NHS constitutional standards relating to (1) elective care, (2) urgent and emergency care, and (3) cancer.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The £1.55 billion investment in diagnostic capacity will support the return to National Health Service constitutional standards by increasing capacity across frontline services including elective care, cancer and urgent and emergency care. National demand and capacity modelling assessed the additional activity required to support the Referral to Treatment standard, enable the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for cancer to reach 80%, and meet demand from urgent and emergency care.
Funding is being rapidly committed and issued to providers following the appropriate governance, including business case and programme panel approvals. Spend is reported centrally each year, and the full £1.55 billion allocation is forecast to be spent by 31 March 2029. Funding is targeted at areas where diagnostic, elective and cancer performance is most challenged. The modelling included projected cancer referral trends to 2029/30 and the diagnostic capacity required to support the FDS. Delivery is monitored through DM01 diagnostic activity alongside FDS and 62-day cancer performance.
Of the £1.55 billion allocated for diagnostics across the Spending Review period, funding for digital diagnostics is split across 16 workstreams covering pathology, imaging and cross-cutting digital capabilities. Funding will be channelled through diagnostic networks, informed by regional digital roadmaps, with regional allocations confirmed once bids are approved. The investment is expected to increase diagnostic capacity and productivity through improved utilisation, reduced duplicate and low-value testing, greater interoperability and fewer unused appointment slots.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assumptions they used to estimate the contribution of the £1.55 billion capital allocation for diagnostics to support the recovery of NHS constitutional standards, as set out in NHS England's capital guidance 2026/27 to 2029/30, published on 17 November 2025, to achieving the cancer standards set out in the National Cancer Plan by 2029; and what mechanisms will be used to monitor the proportion of additional diagnostic activity delivered for patients on suspected or confirmed cancer pathways.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The £1.55 billion investment in diagnostic capacity will support the return to National Health Service constitutional standards by increasing capacity across frontline services including elective care, cancer and urgent and emergency care. National demand and capacity modelling assessed the additional activity required to support the Referral to Treatment standard, enable the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for cancer to reach 80%, and meet demand from urgent and emergency care.
Funding is being rapidly committed and issued to providers following the appropriate governance, including business case and programme panel approvals. Spend is reported centrally each year, and the full £1.55 billion allocation is forecast to be spent by 31 March 2029. Funding is targeted at areas where diagnostic, elective and cancer performance is most challenged. The modelling included projected cancer referral trends to 2029/30 and the diagnostic capacity required to support the FDS. Delivery is monitored through DM01 diagnostic activity alongside FDS and 62-day cancer performance.
Of the £1.55 billion allocated for diagnostics across the Spending Review period, funding for digital diagnostics is split across 16 workstreams covering pathology, imaging and cross-cutting digital capabilities. Funding will be channelled through diagnostic networks, informed by regional digital roadmaps, with regional allocations confirmed once bids are approved. The investment is expected to increase diagnostic capacity and productivity through improved utilisation, reduced duplicate and low-value testing, greater interoperability and fewer unused appointment slots.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the £1.55 billion capital allocation for diagnostics to support the recovery of NHS constitutional standards, as set out in NHS England's capital guidance 2026/27 to 2029/30, published on 17 November 2025, is (1) spent, as of 30 September, or the most recent data point available, and (2) forecast to be spent by 31 March 2029.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The £1.55 billion investment in diagnostic capacity will support the return to National Health Service constitutional standards by increasing capacity across frontline services including elective care, cancer and urgent and emergency care. National demand and capacity modelling assessed the additional activity required to support the Referral to Treatment standard, enable the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for cancer to reach 80%, and meet demand from urgent and emergency care.
Funding is being rapidly committed and issued to providers following the appropriate governance, including business case and programme panel approvals. Spend is reported centrally each year, and the full £1.55 billion allocation is forecast to be spent by 31 March 2029. Funding is targeted at areas where diagnostic, elective and cancer performance is most challenged. The modelling included projected cancer referral trends to 2029/30 and the diagnostic capacity required to support the FDS. Delivery is monitored through DM01 diagnostic activity alongside FDS and 62-day cancer performance.
Of the £1.55 billion allocated for diagnostics across the Spending Review period, funding for digital diagnostics is split across 16 workstreams covering pathology, imaging and cross-cutting digital capabilities. Funding will be channelled through diagnostic networks, informed by regional digital roadmaps, with regional allocations confirmed once bids are approved. The investment is expected to increase diagnostic capacity and productivity through improved utilisation, reduced duplicate and low-value testing, greater interoperability and fewer unused appointment slots.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the diagnostic demand and capacity modelling underpinning the commitment to deliver 9.5 million additional diagnostic tests per year by March 2029 accounts for projected demand from patients on suspected or confirmed cancer pathways; and whether they intend to publish the modelling, including its assumptions, methodology, and pathway-level outputs.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The £1.55 billion investment in diagnostic capacity will support the return to National Health Service constitutional standards by increasing capacity across frontline services including elective care, cancer and urgent and emergency care. National demand and capacity modelling assessed the additional activity required to support the Referral to Treatment standard, enable the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for cancer to reach 80%, and meet demand from urgent and emergency care.
Funding is being rapidly committed and issued to providers following the appropriate governance, including business case and programme panel approvals. Spend is reported centrally each year, and the full £1.55 billion allocation is forecast to be spent by 31 March 2029. Funding is targeted at areas where diagnostic, elective and cancer performance is most challenged. The modelling included projected cancer referral trends to 2029/30 and the diagnostic capacity required to support the FDS. Delivery is monitored through DM01 diagnostic activity alongside FDS and 62-day cancer performance.
Of the £1.55 billion allocated for diagnostics across the Spending Review period, funding for digital diagnostics is split across 16 workstreams covering pathology, imaging and cross-cutting digital capabilities. Funding will be channelled through diagnostic networks, informed by regional digital roadmaps, with regional allocations confirmed once bids are approved. The investment is expected to increase diagnostic capacity and productivity through improved utilisation, reduced duplicate and low-value testing, greater interoperability and fewer unused appointment slots.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the £604 million capital investment in digital diagnostics announced in the recent National Cancer Plan for England will be allocated, broken down by (1) financial year, (2) diagnostic modality, (3) programme, and (4) NHS region; and what additional diagnostic activity and productivity gains are expected to result from that investment.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The £1.55 billion investment in diagnostic capacity will support the return to National Health Service constitutional standards by increasing capacity across frontline services including elective care, cancer and urgent and emergency care. National demand and capacity modelling assessed the additional activity required to support the Referral to Treatment standard, enable the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for cancer to reach 80%, and meet demand from urgent and emergency care.
Funding is being rapidly committed and issued to providers following the appropriate governance, including business case and programme panel approvals. Spend is reported centrally each year, and the full £1.55 billion allocation is forecast to be spent by 31 March 2029. Funding is targeted at areas where diagnostic, elective and cancer performance is most challenged. The modelling included projected cancer referral trends to 2029/30 and the diagnostic capacity required to support the FDS. Delivery is monitored through DM01 diagnostic activity alongside FDS and 62-day cancer performance.
Of the £1.55 billion allocated for diagnostics across the Spending Review period, funding for digital diagnostics is split across 16 workstreams covering pathology, imaging and cross-cutting digital capabilities. Funding will be channelled through diagnostic networks, informed by regional digital roadmaps, with regional allocations confirmed once bids are approved. The investment is expected to increase diagnostic capacity and productivity through improved utilisation, reduced duplicate and low-value testing, greater interoperability and fewer unused appointment slots.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £866.75 million capital allocation for diagnostics in 2026–27 has been allocated to projects expected to provide additional capacity for suspected or confirmed cancer pathways; and how much of that funding had been spent as of 30 September.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The £1.55 billion investment in diagnostic capacity will support the return to National Health Service constitutional standards by increasing capacity across frontline services including elective care, cancer and urgent and emergency care. National demand and capacity modelling assessed the additional activity required to support the Referral to Treatment standard, enable the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for cancer to reach 80%, and meet demand from urgent and emergency care.
Funding is being rapidly committed and issued to providers following the appropriate governance, including business case and programme panel approvals. Spend is reported centrally each year, and the full £1.55 billion allocation is forecast to be spent by 31 March 2029. Funding is targeted at areas where diagnostic, elective and cancer performance is most challenged. The modelling included projected cancer referral trends to 2029/30 and the diagnostic capacity required to support the FDS. Delivery is monitored through DM01 diagnostic activity alongside FDS and 62-day cancer performance.
Of the £1.55 billion allocated for diagnostics across the Spending Review period, funding for digital diagnostics is split across 16 workstreams covering pathology, imaging and cross-cutting digital capabilities. Funding will be channelled through diagnostic networks, informed by regional digital roadmaps, with regional allocations confirmed once bids are approved. The investment is expected to increase diagnostic capacity and productivity through improved utilisation, reduced duplicate and low-value testing, greater interoperability and fewer unused appointment slots.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in light of the national cancer plan for England, published in February 2026, what performance metrics are being used to monitor delivery of the commitment to improve outcomes for rare and less common cancers; and what is the latest reported performance against each metric.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the National Cancer Plan are currently available in the CONCORD-3 study with more up to date data being released in the CONCORD-4 study, which is due to be published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shortly. The Department will continue to use National Disease Registration Service published survival data to monitor progress on cancer survival in England and will ensure that we are improving outcomes across all tumour types.
We are committed to improving all outcomes, including for the 14 less common cancers referenced, as we continue to implement the commitments set out in the plan. Cancer waiting time performance and early diagnosis data provide good indications on where we are making progress and help to identify low-performing tumour types. Both of these datasets are available publicly.
The reformed National Cancer Board is the senior advisory body and governance structure responsible for tracking the progress of the commitments within the plan. The board will maintain momentum, provide challenge and scrutiny to areas of slow progress, and ensure that implementation translates into meaningful improvements for patients, including rare cancer patients. Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Rare Cancers and will be responsible for providing independent challenge and supporting the delivery of the rare cancer commitments within the plan.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the national cancer plan for England; and how those outcomes compare with the baseline used when the national cancer plan for England was published.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the National Cancer Plan are currently available in the CONCORD-3 study with more up to date data being released in the CONCORD-4 study, which is due to be published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shortly. The Department will continue to use National Disease Registration Service published survival data to monitor progress on cancer survival in England and will ensure that we are improving outcomes across all tumour types.
We are committed to improving all outcomes, including for the 14 less common cancers referenced, as we continue to implement the commitments set out in the plan. Cancer waiting time performance and early diagnosis data provide good indications on where we are making progress and help to identify low-performing tumour types. Both of these datasets are available publicly.
The reformed National Cancer Board is the senior advisory body and governance structure responsible for tracking the progress of the commitments within the plan. The board will maintain momentum, provide challenge and scrutiny to areas of slow progress, and ensure that implementation translates into meaningful improvements for patients, including rare cancer patients. Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Rare Cancers and will be responsible for providing independent challenge and supporting the delivery of the rare cancer commitments within the plan.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what governance arrangements have been established to oversee implementation of rare and less common cancer commitments within the national cancer plan for England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the National Cancer Plan are currently available in the CONCORD-3 study with more up to date data being released in the CONCORD-4 study, which is due to be published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shortly. The Department will continue to use National Disease Registration Service published survival data to monitor progress on cancer survival in England and will ensure that we are improving outcomes across all tumour types.
We are committed to improving all outcomes, including for the 14 less common cancers referenced, as we continue to implement the commitments set out in the plan. Cancer waiting time performance and early diagnosis data provide good indications on where we are making progress and help to identify low-performing tumour types. Both of these datasets are available publicly.
The reformed National Cancer Board is the senior advisory body and governance structure responsible for tracking the progress of the commitments within the plan. The board will maintain momentum, provide challenge and scrutiny to areas of slow progress, and ensure that implementation translates into meaningful improvements for patients, including rare cancer patients. Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Rare Cancers and will be responsible for providing independent challenge and supporting the delivery of the rare cancer commitments within the plan.
Asked by: Baroness Morgan of Drefelin (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the initial priorities are for the role of the new national clinical lead for rare cancers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The latest reported survival outcomes for each of the 14 less common cancers referenced in the National Cancer Plan are currently available in the CONCORD-3 study with more up to date data being released in the CONCORD-4 study, which is due to be published by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine shortly. The Department will continue to use National Disease Registration Service published survival data to monitor progress on cancer survival in England and will ensure that we are improving outcomes across all tumour types.
We are committed to improving all outcomes, including for the 14 less common cancers referenced, as we continue to implement the commitments set out in the plan. Cancer waiting time performance and early diagnosis data provide good indications on where we are making progress and help to identify low-performing tumour types. Both of these datasets are available publicly.
The reformed National Cancer Board is the senior advisory body and governance structure responsible for tracking the progress of the commitments within the plan. The board will maintain momentum, provide challenge and scrutiny to areas of slow progress, and ensure that implementation translates into meaningful improvements for patients, including rare cancer patients. Dr Robert Metcalf has been appointed as the National Clinical Lead for Rare Cancers and will be responsible for providing independent challenge and supporting the delivery of the rare cancer commitments within the plan.