Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what effect the covid-19 outbreak will have on his plans to implement the NHS Long Term Plan with respect to (a) Rapid Diagnostic Centres for cancer and (b) the 28 day cancer diagnosis standard.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have set out guiding principles in re-establishing NHS Long Term Plan programmes, prioritising delivery of Long Term Plan commitments that also support recovery - focusing on activities increasing early diagnosis and survival rates such as Rapid Diagnostic Centres.

The Faster Diagnosis Standard is being tested as part of the wider, clinically-led review of National Health Service access standards. Timelines for the review have been impacted by COVID-19, and updates will be provided in due course.

NHS England and NHS Improvement are continuing activities that support ambitions with minimal system impact/burden - including activities such as the Quality of Life metric surveys to track and respond to the long-term impact of cancer, and prioritising delivery of activities that have a significant impact on Long Term Plan ambitions – including projects such as Targeted Lung Health Checks, and personalised stratified follow up.