To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS cancer treatment services have adequate resources to meet increasing demand.

The Department is taking steps to reduce cancer treatment waiting times across England, including the time between an urgent general practitioner referral and the commencement of treatment for cancer for patients. The Government is working jointly with NHS England on implementing the delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlogs in elective care and plans to spend more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to help drive up and protect elective activity, including cancer diagnosis and treatment activity.

Levels of first treatments following an urgent cancer referral have been consistently above pre-pandemic levels, with activity in September 2023 standing at 108% of pre-pandemic levels on a per working day basis.

The Department is also increasing the size of the cancer workforce. As of July 2023, there are currently over 1,600 full time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the speciality of clinical oncology in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. This is over 110 or 7.4% more than last year, over 320 or 24.5% more than 2019, and over 640 or 64.9% more than in 2010. This includes over 870 FTE consultants, which represents 35 or 4.2% more than last year, over 120 or 16.6% more than in 2019, and over 390 or 82.1% more than in 2010.

The Major Conditions Strategy will also consider the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of conditions including cancer.