Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Backlogs

Question

What recent estimate has the government made of the size of backlogs in cancer diagnosis and treatment? The number of people waiting longer than 62 days for treatment following an urgent referral for suspected cancer in England has come down considerably, from 35,000 people in May 2020 to about 19,000 people.

Question

To do that, we are going to need healthy NHS staff. I was alarmed to hear Cambridgeshire's director of public health last week talking about the sheer scale of covid ripping through the school population and then into the parental cohort, many of whom will be working in the NHS. Peterborough currently has the highest number of cases it has had at any time during the pandemic. So what is the Government's plan to keep NHS staff healthy?

Question

My late constituent Anne began to suffer pain in April. She never had a GP visit. She had two visits to accident and emergency, which did not result in any treatment plan. Finally, after four months, she had a non-urgent visit to a urologist. Sadly, because at no point was she diagnosed with a terminal condition, she was not given access to hospice care and died in September. What is he going to do to guarantee that there will not be many more Annes in the months and years to come?

Question

Will he join me in recognising the multidisciplinary teams throughout the country that are working non-stop to meet cancer pathway targets, including Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust? Will he consider a visit to the hospital that treated me and thousands of others?

Question

The proportion of people starting cancer treatment within one month has dropped to the lowest level on record. Some 30,000 fewer people are accessing cancer treatment than expected pre-pandemic. Winter pressures have already caused chemotherapy to be paused in Nottingham. Will he make a commitment that there are now sufficient resources for cancer services throughout the winter period?