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| Government missed cancer waiting times target, PM admits | Government missed cancer waiting times target, PM admits |
| (7 months later) | |
| David Cameron has said the government needs to improve its performance on cancer waiting times, admitting it had missed a target for patients to be treated within 62 days of an urgent referral from a GP. | David Cameron has said the government needs to improve its performance on cancer waiting times, admitting it had missed a target for patients to be treated within 62 days of an urgent referral from a GP. |
| Speaking in parliament during prime minister’s questions, he said that while the government had met two of three key targets on cancer treatment, it had missed one. | Speaking in parliament during prime minister’s questions, he said that while the government had met two of three key targets on cancer treatment, it had missed one. |
| “There are three key targets on waiting times. First, that people should be seen by a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral [for suspected cancer]. And we are meant to meet that on 93% of occasions. We’re currently on 94.7%,” said Cameron. | “There are three key targets on waiting times. First, that people should be seen by a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral [for suspected cancer]. And we are meant to meet that on 93% of occasions. We’re currently on 94.7%,” said Cameron. |
| “We need to make sure that the first treatment comes within 31 days of diagnosis. That is extremely important. There’s a 96% standard and we’re meeting it by 97.7%. But I accept that when it comes to the first treatment within 62 days, the standard is 85% and we’re at 83.5%. We need to improve our performance.” | “We need to make sure that the first treatment comes within 31 days of diagnosis. That is extremely important. There’s a 96% standard and we’re meeting it by 97.7%. But I accept that when it comes to the first treatment within 62 days, the standard is 85% and we’re at 83.5%. We need to improve our performance.” |
| Cameron was responding to a question from Jeremy Corbyn, who used all six of his questions to focus on the government’s record on cancer treatment ahead of World Cancer Day on Thursday. The Labour leader said the 62-day target had not been met for more than a year and a half. | Cameron was responding to a question from Jeremy Corbyn, who used all six of his questions to focus on the government’s record on cancer treatment ahead of World Cancer Day on Thursday. The Labour leader said the 62-day target had not been met for more than a year and a half. |
| “Cancer is a disease that almost every family in this country has been affected by in some way or another,” said Corbyn. “Two and a half million people in this country have cancer. There are members on both sides of this house who have received or are receiving treatment at the present time. | “Cancer is a disease that almost every family in this country has been affected by in some way or another,” said Corbyn. “Two and a half million people in this country have cancer. There are members on both sides of this house who have received or are receiving treatment at the present time. |
| “One thousand people a day are diagnosed with cancer and they go through a trauma as soon as they are diagnosed. But in the last year, there has been a 36% increase in the number of people waiting beyond six weeks for vital diagnostic tests. Could the prime minister do something to bring that down?” | “One thousand people a day are diagnosed with cancer and they go through a trauma as soon as they are diagnosed. But in the last year, there has been a 36% increase in the number of people waiting beyond six weeks for vital diagnostic tests. Could the prime minister do something to bring that down?” |
| Cameron replied that the fight against cancer was “one of the great fights of our time and one that we are determined to win”, adding that the government had put an extra £19bn into the NHS. | Cameron replied that the fight against cancer was “one of the great fights of our time and one that we are determined to win”, adding that the government had put an extra £19bn into the NHS. |
| “We’ve got more doctors, more nurses, more cancer specialists, but the fight against cancer is something we need to continue with,” he said. “The money is there in our NHS because we have a strong economy, money which would not be there – £19bn more – if we followed his [Corbyn’s] crazy economic plans.” | “We’ve got more doctors, more nurses, more cancer specialists, but the fight against cancer is something we need to continue with,” he said. “The money is there in our NHS because we have a strong economy, money which would not be there – £19bn more – if we followed his [Corbyn’s] crazy economic plans.” |
| Corbyn highlighted a £200m cut in the public health budget, which funds campaigns to fight obesity and help people stop smoking. Cameron responded that the government had made a number of advances in public health, through banning smoking in cars carrying children and plain packaging of cigarettes. | Corbyn highlighted a £200m cut in the public health budget, which funds campaigns to fight obesity and help people stop smoking. Cameron responded that the government had made a number of advances in public health, through banning smoking in cars carrying children and plain packaging of cigarettes. |
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