Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans the Government has to ensure that GPs follow NICE guidance on blood cancer.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) clinical guidelines help healthcare professionals deliver the best possible care based on the best available evidence. The guidelines are not mandatory, although healthcare professionals are expected to take them fully into account
NICE’s updated referral guidelines for suspected cancer published in June 2015 could save about 5,000 lives a year, with general practitioners urged to think of cancer sooner and to lower the referral threshold for tests.