Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:56 pm on 1 December 2021.
Thank you for that response. The Minister talks about some things taking a back seat, and that's what I'm concerned about. And there are serious implications—the most serious—when some things take a back seat, and I'm thinking particularly about cancer and the need for early cancer diagnosis, for example. There are many people who are still staying away from primary care. They may have a cough and they should be accessing treatment because it could be lung cancer, but for some reason they choose to stay away. I had a meeting with Tenovus yesterday, and they described what they saw as a devastating number, to quote them, of people who weren't discovering lung cancer until stage 4. A strategy to ensure that cancer is diagnosed early would be a crucial part of the new cancer plan for Wales that we truly need to see. But, what's the Minister going to do now to ensure that (1) people feel safe in going to their GP, (2) that they can see their GP, and, (3) when it comes to cancer, that the referral can still happen, even when we are facing this new variant that is such a cause for concern?