Cancer Outcomes in North Wales

Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:50 pm on 21 November 2018.

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Photo of Mark Isherwood Mark Isherwood Conservative 2:50, 21 November 2018

Endoscopy services are key to ensuring the early diagnosis and detection of cancers such as bowel cancer, and 104 patients in north Wales needing an endoscopy are waiting over 24 weeks or 168 days. Betsi Cadwaladr University Local Health Board's latest board meeting said that endoscopy have maximised this with backfill and additional weekend capacity, and a third endoscopy run in the west, saying that some of the additional capacity is being used to address the backlog of urgent suspected cancer patients and patients referred by Bowel Screening Wales. But, it also states that although it's expected that the board will continue to meet its 31-day target, the 62-day target for patients newly diagnosed with cancer via the urgent suspected cancer route to start definitive treatment is at significant risk, particularly due to the pressure on endoscopy across Betsi Cadwaladr. What work, therefore, is the Welsh Government doing to ensure that sustainable capacity is built in this area, so that no patient needing an endoscopy is exposed to waiting for longer than the Welsh Government's target waiting times?