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 adequacy of the number of trained radiologists.

Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017 which commits to the expansion of capacity and skills including an ambition to increase improved working practices, attracting qualified people back to the National Health Service through domestic and international recruitment. This will include 668 more, full time equivalent, clinical radiologists and investing in 300 reporting radiographers by 2021 to support an increase in the capacity for earlier diagnosis.

Following publication of the NHS Long Term Plan in January 2019, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has commissioned Baroness Dido Harding, working closely with Sir David Behan, to lead a number of programmes to engage with key NHS interests to develop a detailed workforce implementation plan. These programmes will consider detailed proposals to grow the workforce rapidly, including staff working on cancer, consider additional staff and skills required, build a supportive working culture in the NHS and ensure first rate leadership for NHS staff.