Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the views and lived experience of teenagers and young adults with cancer are being incorporated into his forthcoming national cancer plan; and how their involvement will be reflected in the plan’s publication and launch.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is committed to improving outcomes for teenagers and young adults with cancer. The Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce was relaunched on 4 February 2025 to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will explore opportunities for improvement in England, including detection and diagnosis, genomic testing and treatment, research and innovation, and patient experience. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people, including teenagers and young adults with cancer, are carefully considered as part of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan.
The Government is committed to including the views and lived experience of teenagers and young adults in the National Cancer Plan. That is why the Department has worked with the Children and Young People Cancer taskforce members to assemble a Patient Experience Panel of people with lived experience of cancer. The panel is made up of a diverse group, including parents of children with cancer, young adults who were diagnosed with cancer as teenagers, and those who were diagnosed as children.
As part of the Department’s engagement to inform the development of the forthcoming National Cancer Plan, officials from the Department’s cancer team have worked closely with patient organisations, clinicians, and cancer partners, and has considered over 11,000 responses to the call for evidence. These included submissions from Teenage Cancer Trust, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, Young Lives vs Cancer, CCLG: The Children and Young People's Cancer Association, and so on.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve diagnostic services for cancer in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving cancer services, including diagnostic capacity and treatment infrastructure, is a priority for the Government.
The Government is committed to meeting all three National Health Service cancer waiting time standards across England. We are committed to transforming diagnostic services and will support the NHS to meet demand through investment in new capacity, including magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners. As of December 2025, community diagnostic centres are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country.
The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will set out further details as to how patients across England, including in Buckingham and Bletchley, will benefit from improved diagnostic services and cancer care infrastructure.
Funding for cancer pathways is multi-layered. The integrated care board uses the core Government allocation to commission services from providers, including cancer-related activity. Specialised commissioning directs funding towards specialist areas of healthcare, such as paediatric oncology and chemotherapy.
The East of England Cancer Alliance has been allocated approximately £16 million of revenue funds for 2026/27 which will support targeted programmes of work. The process to allocate these funds is currently live. System priorities have been identified and funding requests have been submitted for consideration.
Asked by: Lord Kamall (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the five-year survival rates for brain cancer.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving outcomes and survival rates remain a firm priority for the Government across all cancer types. However, we recognise that for rarer cancers, such as brain cancers, which are harder to diagnose and treat, survival rates are too low, and this needs to drastically change.
Research is vital in improving survival rates, which is why in December 2025 the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) announced the pioneering Brain Tumour Research Consortium to accelerate research into new brain tumour treatments. The world-leading consortium aims to transform outcomes for adults and children and their families who are living with brain tumours, ultimately reducing lives lost to cancer. The NIHR is investing an initial £13.7 million, with significant further funding due to be awarded early in the new year.
Reducing the number of lives lost to cancer will be a key aim of the National Cancer Plan for England, which is due to be published shortly. The plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients, including brain cancer patients, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment.
Asked by: Helen Maguire (Liberal Democrat - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to decrease treatment wait times for patients with metastatic ocular melanoma.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department remains committed to ensuring that cancer patients, including those with metastatic ocular melanoma, have timely access to treatment and tailored medical support.
The Government supports Scott Arthur’s Private Members Bill on rare cancers which will make it easier for clinical trials into rare cancers to take place in England by ensuring the patient population can be easily contacted by researchers. This will ensure that the National Health Service will remain at the forefront of medical innovation and is able to provide patients with the newest, most effective treatment options, and ultimately boost survival rates.
The forthcoming National Cancer Plan will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for patients with cancer, as well as speeding up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates. This will benefit all cancer patients, including metastatic ocular melanoma patients.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department provides to Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust in Chelmsford to meet cancer waiting times and ensure people with cancer receive timely care.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Improving cancer waiting times for patients is a high priority for the Government.
We are seeking to achieve this goal through the increased use of community diagnostic centres (CDCs) which will increase the available capacity and bring healthcare closer to the community. CDCs are now delivering additional tests and checks on 170 sites across the country, with 103 of these being open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering at least one test in expanded hours, meaning patients can access vital diagnostic tests around their busy working lives.
The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust is the local provider for cancer services in Chelmsford, has been awarded funding for a replacement radiotherapy machine.
The National Cancer Plan, which is due to be published soon, will set out how we will increase performance against our standards, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ultimately provide better outcomes for cancer patients. It will ensure patients, including those in Chelmsford, have access to the latest treatments and technology and improve patient experience and outcomes.
Asked by: Marie Goldman (Liberal Democrat - Chelmsford)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps to ensure that the National Cancer Plan tackles identity-based disparities in cancer care, including for people from (a) ethnic minority backgrounds, (b) disabled people and (c) LGBTQ+ communities.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will have patients at its heart and 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 to better the experiences and outcomes for all people with cancer.
Reducing inequalities is also a key priority for the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at the targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival and will develop interventions to tackle these. This includes looking at protected characteristics such as disability, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, and geographic location.
Asked by: Juliet Campbell (Labour - Broxtowe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how the National Cancer Plan will support the screening, diagnosis and treatment of cancer in a) Broxtowe constituency, b) the East Midlands and c) England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Cancer Plan will be published shortly and will have patients at its heart and will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from prevention and screening through early diagnosis, treatment, ongoing care, research and innovation.
Early diagnosis is a key focus of the plan. We will support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer earlier and treat it faster, including through improved access to screening programmes, increased diagnostic capacity, and the continued roll-out of effective diagnostic pathways. The plan will also address access to effective and timely cancer treatment.
Reducing geographical inequalities in cancer outcomes is a central priority of the National Cancer Plan. The plan will look at targeted improvements needed across different cancer types to reduce disparities in cancer survival related to socioeconomic status, geography, and other factors. It will set out how we will work with the NHS and partner organisations to ensure high-quality cancer care is available consistently across the country, including in areas that currently experience poorer outcomes.
Through this national approach, the National Cancer Plan will support improvements in cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment for patients in Broxtowe, across the East Midlands, and throughout England.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what actions they are taking to improve waiting times for gynaecological appointments in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Women’s health is a priority for the Government, including tackling gynaecology waiting lists. We are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks of referral to consultant-led care by March 2029.
Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out several actions to improve gynaecology waiting times. This includes innovative models of care that offer care closer-to-home and in-the-community; piloting gynaecology pathways in Community Diagnostic Centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding, and; increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures. These reforms will mean shorter waits and more convenient gynaecological care for patients.
Wider elective reforms, including widening opportunities for direct advice to referrers from specialists, introducing more straight to test pathways, taking action to reduce missed appointments and ramping up remote monitoring and patient-initiated follow up, will also improve gynaecology waiting times. These changes will provide flexibility and convenience for patients, whilst freeing up appointments for those who need them.
We are also introducing an “online hospital” called NHS Online, and women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will be among the conditions available to be referred to this hospital from 2027. This will give patients the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.
The Department does not hold data on the current average waiting time for urgent gynaecology appointments. For urgent suspected cancer referrals, the Faster Diagnosis Standard requires that 75% of patients are informed within 28 days whether they have cancer. For suspected gynaecological cancers, national performance as of November 2025 against the Faster Diagnosis Standard in England is 68.6%.
The National Cancer Plan, which will be published this year, aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer in England, including gynaecological cancers. The plan will set out how the Government will improve outcomes for cancer patients, and speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources, if any, they will allocate to gynaecology services in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Women’s health is a priority for the Government, including tackling gynaecology waiting lists. We are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks of referral to consultant-led care by March 2029.
Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out several actions to improve gynaecology waiting times. This includes innovative models of care that offer care closer-to-home and in-the-community; piloting gynaecology pathways in Community Diagnostic Centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding, and; increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures. These reforms will mean shorter waits and more convenient gynaecological care for patients.
Wider elective reforms, including widening opportunities for direct advice to referrers from specialists, introducing more straight to test pathways, taking action to reduce missed appointments and ramping up remote monitoring and patient-initiated follow up, will also improve gynaecology waiting times. These changes will provide flexibility and convenience for patients, whilst freeing up appointments for those who need them.
We are also introducing an “online hospital” called NHS Online, and women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will be among the conditions available to be referred to this hospital from 2027. This will give patients the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.
The Department does not hold data on the current average waiting time for urgent gynaecology appointments. For urgent suspected cancer referrals, the Faster Diagnosis Standard requires that 75% of patients are informed within 28 days whether they have cancer. For suspected gynaecological cancers, national performance as of November 2025 against the Faster Diagnosis Standard in England is 68.6%.
The National Cancer Plan, which will be published this year, aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer in England, including gynaecological cancers. The plan will set out how the Government will improve outcomes for cancer patients, and speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the current average waiting time is for urgent gynaecological appointments in England.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Women’s health is a priority for the Government, including tackling gynaecology waiting lists. We are committed to returning to the National Health Service constitutional standard that 92% of patients are treated within 18 weeks of referral to consultant-led care by March 2029.
Our Elective Reform Plan, published in January 2025, sets out several actions to improve gynaecology waiting times. This includes innovative models of care that offer care closer-to-home and in-the-community; piloting gynaecology pathways in Community Diagnostic Centres for patients with post-menopausal bleeding, and; increasing the relative funding available to incentivise providers to take on more gynaecology procedures. These reforms will mean shorter waits and more convenient gynaecological care for patients.
Wider elective reforms, including widening opportunities for direct advice to referrers from specialists, introducing more straight to test pathways, taking action to reduce missed appointments and ramping up remote monitoring and patient-initiated follow up, will also improve gynaecology waiting times. These changes will provide flexibility and convenience for patients, whilst freeing up appointments for those who need them.
We are also introducing an “online hospital” called NHS Online, and women’s health issues, including severe menopause symptoms and menstrual problems that may be a sign of endometriosis or fibroids, will be among the conditions available to be referred to this hospital from 2027. This will give patients the choice of getting the specialist care they need from their home, providing additional appointments to cut waiting times.
The Department does not hold data on the current average waiting time for urgent gynaecology appointments. For urgent suspected cancer referrals, the Faster Diagnosis Standard requires that 75% of patients are informed within 28 days whether they have cancer. For suspected gynaecological cancers, national performance as of November 2025 against the Faster Diagnosis Standard in England is 68.6%.
The National Cancer Plan, which will be published this year, aims to reduce the number of lives lost to cancer in England, including gynaecological cancers. The plan will set out how the Government will improve outcomes for cancer patients, and speed up diagnosis and treatment, ensuring patients have access to the latest treatments and technology, and ultimately driving up this country’s cancer survival rates.