Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate the Department has made of waiting times for diagnostic imaging for suspected liver cancer; and what steps it is taking to reduce waiting times in diagnosis.

The Department recognises the importance of reducing cancer diagnostic waiting times which is why we have committed to meeting all of the cancer waiting time standards, including the 28-day faster diagnosis standard (FDS), by 2029. This will improve outcomes for all cancers, including liver cancer.

We do not hold waiting time data specifically on diagnostic imaging for suspected liver cancer. While we collect data on the FDS performance for suspected upper gastrointestinal cancer, this does not differentiate between imaging and non-imaging pathways. FDS performance for suspected upper gastrointestinal cancer has increased 2.9% from 73.2% in January 2025 to 76.1% in January 2026, exceeding the 75% performance target.

We will improve waiting time performance by modernising the entire cancer pathway, expanding diagnostic capacity and streamlining diagnostic services. This modernisation will be supported by a £6 billion investment in diagnostic and urgent care capacity which will transform diagnostic care and provide the National Health Service with the tools they require to diagnose cancer, including liver cancer, faster and earlier.