2. What action is the Welsh Government taking to support diagnostic services across Wales? OQ55970

Diagnostic services are a fundamental part of how we deliver health services. Our commitment to those services is outlined in the statements of intent for imaging and pathology, the endoscopy action plan for Wales and the national strategy for genomics. These are all supported by a number of national programmes.

Thank you for that answer, Minister. As you're aware, a fortnight ago, the cross-party group on cancer published its report on the single cancer pathway and the impact of COVID-19 on cancer services, and one of the recommendations was clearly to invest in diagnostic services, in equipment, settings and in people—people who are desperately needed. Macmillan Cancer Support has also highlighted the need for diagnostic services to get back to pre-pandemic levels and, in fact, higher than pre-pandemic levels so that any bottlenecks that have been created as a consequence of COVID-19 can actually be addressed. Now, to do all this, the Welsh Government needs to commit resources to that delivery. Will you now give the Welsh Government's commitment to ensuring that funding will be available to increase both equipment and workforce resources for diagnostic services in Wales? 

Thank you for the Member's question. Of course, we rehearsed some of this last week in the short debate on the cross-party group on cancer's report. I do want to reiterate my thanks for not just the Member but Members across the Chamber who have highlighted this as an issue. It's a really important issue—to have the right equipment and, also, the right staff to be able to use that equipment to care for people in Wales. We've invested over £30 million in the last three years in large diagnostic equipment and about £15 million was invested over this year in diagnostics. Also, of course, I opened the National Imaging Academy Wales in Pencoed, and that is really helping us to have not just a new generation of people trained, but to keep them in Wales as well. In the coming days, I'll confirm training figures for a number of areas for staff across the health service, and that will include issues around diagnostics too. I also expect to be in a position in the coming days to confirm where we are with the further steps on the national endoscopy action plan as well. This isn't a matter of if we'll invest in the future of diagnostics; it's about how much we'll do. And I'll repeat the commitment I gave to the Member last week that we will respond properly and in writing to the cross-party group on cancer's report, including the sections on the diagnostic workforce.

Minister, you'll have heard before of the early diagnostic potential that we've seen in Baglan hospital, for example, when we're talking about cancers. I'm hoping that the report that David is referring to will make sure that the work there continues at pace. But I particularly wanted to ask you today about the role of dentists, because their role in spotting possible mouth cancers in the course of routine treatment is well known. The current guidance to dentists is understandably restrictive, but do you know by how much the initial detection figures for oral cancers have been affected since March, and would you consider revising guidance if there's been a noticeable drop?

No, I don't have the specific figure for the drop in detection of oral cancers, but I recognise that dentists are about a great deal more than checking how many teeth you have and giving fillings. They make a huge difference to oral hygiene in a range of areas, including helping early warnings with oral cancer. So, it is an area of concern. I think there's a really important point for all of us about what comes after COVID, because we know there's been significant harm done already. We know we need to take further measures to keep more of us alive for the future. But we also know that we're putting off and we'll have to deal with a significant amount of healthcare challenges once we're out the other side of the pandemic. So, this is one of those areas, and we don't yet understand the fall-back about what that will be, when we'll need to plan for it and then deliver against it. Whenever it is safe and appropriate to do so, we will, of course, enable and encourage further healthcare provision to be provided. I don't want to lose sight of the point you made about the vague symptoms work that's been done in Neath Port Talbot Hospital, and the same in the Royal Glamorgan. Again, that's part of what I do expect us to see developing and delivering in the future, together with advice from our clinicians in the cancer network.