Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he plans to take to improve cancer waiting times in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for cancer patients across England, including in Ely and East Cambridgeshire.
The Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a strong track record in delivering the cancer performance standards over the years. There is a comprehensive action plan to address the recent deterioration in the waiting times that patients are experiencing for cancer diagnostics and treatment. This includes the provision of additional consultant appointments and theatre lists, as well as recruitment to expand capacity across a number of treatment pathways, with breast, urology, and skin cancer services identified as specific priorities to meet local needs.
A new Cancer Operational Taskforce has been launched to drive the delivery of the actions required to improve cancer waiting times for patients, including those who reside within the Ely constituency area.
The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
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, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location. We know that people living in deprived areas are less likely to have their cancers diagnosed at an early stage, when treatment can be more effective, and we want to reduce the gap in early diagnosis between those living in the richest and poorest areas through the National Cancer Plan.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of inequalities in cancer treatment access in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to improving outcomes for cancer patients across England, including in Ely and East Cambridgeshire.
The Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has a strong track record in delivering the cancer performance standards over the years. There is a comprehensive action plan to address the recent deterioration in the waiting times that patients are experiencing for cancer diagnostics and treatment. This includes the provision of additional consultant appointments and theatre lists, as well as recruitment to expand capacity across a number of treatment pathways, with breast, urology, and skin cancer services identified as specific priorities to meet local needs.
A new Cancer Operational Taskforce has been launched to drive the delivery of the actions required to improve cancer waiting times for patients, including those who reside within the Ely constituency area.
The Department will publish a National Cancer Plan which will include further details on how we will improve outcomes for cancer patients across England, speed up diagnosis and treatment, and ensure that patients have access to the latest treatments and technology.
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, as well as inequalities related to socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and geographic location. We know that people living in deprived areas are less likely to have their cancers diagnosed at an early stage, when treatment can be more effective, and we want to reduce the gap in early diagnosis between those living in the richest and poorest areas through the National Cancer Plan.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the performance of Northwick Park Hospital on cancer in the last five years.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust provides cancer services at Northwick Park, Central Middlesex, Ealing, and St Mark's Hospitals, with speciality cancer teams at each site. Performance data on cancer pathways is reported at trust level.
The trust demonstrated strong performance up to mid-2023, particularly for the Faster Diagnosis Standard, with 84.7% performance in July 2023 being 14.7 percentage points above the 75% standard, and the 31-day treatment standard, with 100% performance in July 2023 being four percentage points above the 96% standard.
From mid-202,3 data quality issues and a temporary reduction in activity following the implementation of Cerner, an electronic patient record system, plus capacity constraints, saw a decline in performance. Backlogs increased with the number of patients waiting over 104 days for treatment peaking significantly.
A recovery programme was implemented to reduce the backlog, using real-time data to drive action and accountability. Actions included increasing the trust’s capacity and workforce, with specialist nurses, radiographers, and consultants, plus extended hours and weekend clinics. Rapid triage and assessment pathways led to faster diagnosis, along with expanded one-stop clinics, especially for breast cancer and gynaecology, with more patients also being sent straight to test for lower gastrointestinal cancers.
By early 2025, the number of patients wating more than 104 days was close to zero, with a steady improvement seen in two-week waits and the Faster Diagnosis Standard. As the trust has started to stabilise its backlog, there has been significant improvement in the 62 day performance target with the trust continuing to be above the London target of 70%.
Latest waiting time performance from July 2025 has been promising, with the trust achieving 81.5% Faster Diagnosis Standard performance and 100% 31-day treatment performance. 62-day referral to first treatment performance was 83%, one of the best in the country.
Full cancer performance figures are published in the trust’s annual report, which is available at the following link:
https://www.lnwh.nhs.uk/annual-report-and-accounts
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to (a) review and (b) update the automatic breast screening programme policy for women aged 70 and above as part of his National Cancer Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department is not planning a review and update of the policy on breast screening for women aged over 70 as part of the National Cancer Plan. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) is an independent scientific advisor to Ministers and the National Health Service about all aspects of population and targeted screening.
The NHS breast screening programme does not automatically invite women for breast screening if they are 71 or over because there is a lack of evidence around the balance of benefit versus harm of screening women above this age. Women can still have breast screening every three years if they want to, by calling their local breast screening service to ask for an appointment.
The UK NSC recognises that screening programmes are not static and that, over time, they may need to change to be more effective. Work is underway within the breast screening programme to investigate the possibility of routinely screening above the currently recommended age. The AgeX research trial has been looking at the effectiveness of offering some women one extra screen between the ages of 47 and 49, and one between the ages of 71 and 73. It is the biggest trial of its kind ever to be undertaken and will provide robust evidence about the effectiveness of screening in these age groups, including the benefit and harms. The UK NSC will review the publication of the age extension trial when it reports.
Furthermore, early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan, which will build on the three shifts in care set out in the 10-Year Health Plan to diagnose cancers earlier. Through the 10-Year Health Plan, we will make it easier for people to access cancer screening, diagnostic and treatment services in patients’ local areas.
Asked by: Lizzi Collinge (Labour - Morecambe and Lunesdale)
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 expedite decisions on access to new treatments for secondary breast cancer.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) makes recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new licensed medicines should be routinely funded by the NHS based on an assessment of clinical and cost effectiveness. The NHS is legally required to fund NICE recommended medicines, normally within three months of final guidance, and cancer medicines are eligible for funding from the point of a positive draft NICE recommendation.
NICE aims, wherever possible, to issue guidance on new medicines close to the time of licensing to ensure that patients are able to benefit from rapid access to clinically and cost effective new medicines. The Life Sciences Sector Plan sets out the measures we are taking that will mean that patients are able to access medicines three to six months faster, including improved alignment between the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s decisions and NICE’s guidance publication. The Life Sciences Sector Plan is published and available at the following link:
Asked by: Helena Dollimore (Labour (Co-op) - Hastings and Rye)
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 help increase awareness to ensure that women with the NF1 gene undergo the breast cancer screening to which they are entitled.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an inherited condition that causes cancerous and non-cancerous tumours to grow along the nerves. It affects everyone in a different way. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance does not address NF1 specifically but does state that people with certain genetic conditions should be referred to a geneticist to consider their risk, and that people aged between 40 and 50 years old may qualify for annual scans of their breasts.
An individual’s risk of breast cancer is based on a number of factors. These factors may vary throughout a lifetime which is why individuals are advised to seek advice from their health professionals. Most individuals with NF1 would be considered at moderate risk of breast cancer, which would mean they should be referred for annual scans by the clinician leading their care. This is not part of the breast cancer screening programme, but is the responsibility of local services to organise and commission.
There are a range of different sources of information for patients including the Childhood Tumour Trust and Nerve Tumours UK website. Nerve Tumours UK also includes guidance to general practitioners and have specialist nurse advisors across England. Information for individuals with NF1 is also provided on the NHS website at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/neurofibromatosis-type-1
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of introducing a comprehensive breast cancer risk assessment for all women, including younger pre-screening age women.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, breast screening is offered to women under the age of 50 years old according to nationally recommended guidelines, based on their assessed risk of developing breast cancer. These can be found on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s website in an online-only format.
Women younger than 50 years old are not routinely screened for breast cancer due to the lower risk of women under this age developing breast cancer, and the fact that women below 50 years old tend to have denser breasts. The denseness of breast tissue reduces the ability of getting an accurate mammogram, the accepted screening test for breast cancer.
Due to this and other factors, there is a risk of over-treatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer but would be subjected to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests. Therefore, the Government does not currently plan to introduce comprehensive breast cancer risk assessments for women under 50 years old, although the UK National Screening Committee keeps age brackets under review.
Some women have an increased chance of developing breast cancer because of their genes. Five to 10 out of 100, or 5% to 10% of, all breast cancers happen because of an inherited tendency, also called a genetic predisposition.
National Health Service breast cancer risk assessments in England are undertaken to identify the risk of having an inherited tendency of developing breast cancer. It is up to integrated care boards to commission breast cancer risk assessment services locally in line with national clinical guidance.
The NHS website has a webpage that raises awareness of checking breasts for potential symptoms of breast cancer in all age groups. The NHS Breast Screening Programme produced a five-point plan for being breast aware. The plan sets out that individuals should know what's normal for them, look at and feel their breasts, know what changes to look for, report any changes to a general practitioner without delay and attend routine screening when invited.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to extend breast cancer risk assessment to women under 50 years of age.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
In England, breast screening is offered to women under the age of 50 years old according to nationally recommended guidelines, based on their assessed risk of developing breast cancer. These can be found on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s website in an online-only format.
Women younger than 50 years old are not routinely screened for breast cancer due to the lower risk of women under this age developing breast cancer, and the fact that women below 50 years old tend to have denser breasts. The denseness of breast tissue reduces the ability of getting an accurate mammogram, the accepted screening test for breast cancer.
Due to this and other factors, there is a risk of over-treatment and distress for women who do not have breast cancer but would be subjected to invasive and painful medical treatments and diagnostic tests. Therefore, the Government does not currently plan to introduce comprehensive breast cancer risk assessments for women under 50 years old, although the UK National Screening Committee keeps age brackets under review.
Some women have an increased chance of developing breast cancer because of their genes. Five to 10 out of 100, or 5% to 10% of, all breast cancers happen because of an inherited tendency, also called a genetic predisposition.
National Health Service breast cancer risk assessments in England are undertaken to identify the risk of having an inherited tendency of developing breast cancer. It is up to integrated care boards to commission breast cancer risk assessment services locally in line with national clinical guidance.
The NHS website has a webpage that raises awareness of checking breasts for potential symptoms of breast cancer in all age groups. The NHS Breast Screening Programme produced a five-point plan for being breast aware. The plan sets out that individuals should know what's normal for them, look at and feel their breasts, know what changes to look for, report any changes to a general practitioner without delay and attend routine screening when invited.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in regard to the NHS 10 Year Health Plan for England, what assessment they have made of opportunities to identify genetic risk for diabetes, and what plans they have to implement that genetic testing as part of the shift to diabetes prevention.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The National Health Service, in partnership with Our Future Health, will trial the use of Integrated Risk Scores, which combine genomic data with lifestyle and other non-biological risk factors, within neighbourhood health services. This partnership will generate important evidence to inform whether, and how, integrated risk scores could be used more widely in the NHS. The partnership will initially focus on cardiovascular disease but is set to expand to include diabetes, breast cancer, glaucoma, and osteoporosis. This work represents a significant step towards embedding genetic testing into routine preventive care, enabling earlier identification of individuals at higher genetic risk and personalised healthcare based on risk. This approach directly supports the ambitions set out in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, which commits to shifting the NHS from a reactive model to one that is predictive and preventive, using genomics and data-driven tools to tackle major conditions like diabetes earlier and more effectively.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to include personalised breast cancer risk assessments in the NHS Health Check programme for women under 50 years of age.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Some women have an increased risk of developing breast cancer because of their genetics. NHS breast cancer risk assessments are undertaken to identify women under the age of 50 years old at higher risk and offer them breast screening according to national guidelines.
The NHS Health Check, a core component of England’s cardiovascular disease prevention programme, assesses risk factors for cardiovascular disease in people aged 40 to 74 years old and refers them to behavioural support services and clinical management where appropriate.
For these reasons, the Department does not have plans to include personalised breast cancer risk assessments for women under 50 years old in the NHS Health Check Programme.