Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will include (1) creating alternative diagnostic pathways for people with signs and symptoms of cancer, and (2) expanding direct patient access to diagnostics, as part of the national cancer plan.

The National Cancer Plan will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention, research, and innovation. It will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care, including improving diagnostic performance.

We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the National Health Service to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners.

Full roll out of non-specific symptom (NSS) pathways, designed to speed up the diagnosis of cancer, has been achieved across England. NSS pathways introduce a route to possible diagnosis for patients who display symptoms that could indicate cancer, but which do not align to specific cancers. The new non-specific pathway complements current cancer diagnostic pathways, as well as providing elements that can be applied to existing pathways.

Additionally, general practice (GP) direct access enables GPs to directly request diagnostic tests, including several imaging modalities, such as ultrasound, x-ray, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging, rather than first requiring a patient be referred to a specialist in an outpatient appointment. Performing diagnostic tests at this stage ensures that patients receive test results more quickly.