Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Sir Mike Richards’ review of cancer screening programmes, whether the findings from that review will be incorporated into proposals on tackling workforce shortages for breast imaging and diagnostic workforce and included in the final NHS People Plan.

The National Health Service currently has a record number of specialist cancer staff and has committed to recruit an additional 1,500 staff across seven priority cancer specialisms by 2021.

The NHS interim People Plan was published on 3 June 2019. It acknowledges that further action must be taken to grow and recruit a world class cancer workforce to the NHS, and sets out a shared vision and plan of action to put NHS people at the heart of NHS policy and delivery.

In advance of publishing the final People Plan, soon after the conclusion of the 2019 Spending Review, the NHS will establish a national programme board to address geographical and specialty shortages in medicine, which will include the cancer workforce.

An independent review of cancer services led by Sir Mike Richards will report in summer 2019, NHS England and NHS Improvement will carefully consider any recommendations from this Review in the context of the NHS People Plan.