Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England is providing training to help GPs to diagnose brain tumours at an early stage.

General practitioners (GPs) are responsible for ensuring their own clinical knowledge, including on brain tumours, remains up-to-date, and for identifying learning needs as part of their continuing professional development. This activity should include taking account of new research and developments in guidance, such as that produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, to ensure that they can continue to provide high quality care to all patients.

The training curricula for postgraduate trainee doctors is set by the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP), and has to meet the standards set by the General Medical Council. The RCGP provides a number of resources on cancer prevention, diagnosis, and care for GPs, relevant for the primary care setting.

The Government aims to ensure that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster, so more patients survive, and improves patients’ experience across the system.