Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that MRI scans can better detect cancer tumours.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning is an increasingly important element of cancer diagnosis and assessment for cancer treatment. It allows detailed imaging of tumours and in some cases the detection of possible spread. This is important for accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.

NHS England’s National Cancer Programme has a number of initiatives underway to support the delivery of key strategic priorities including the National Diagnostic Capacity Fund. The fund is an investment in specific projects and interventions to change the way we deliver diagnostic services and unlock capacity by delivering more efficiently. The fund is focusing on redesigning and streamlining patient pathways, to ensure that patients receive the right tests at the right time, including MRI scans, as efficiently as possible.