Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:50 pm on 14 June 2022.
Thank you. I absolutely accept what a worrying time it is for anyone who is referred with the possibility of having cancer and, as you say, the impact it has not just on them, but on the wider family and friends. You'll be aware that the Minister did launch the programme for transforming our NHS, as you referred to, earlier this year. The pandemic has, inevitably, had a significant impact on cancer care. We saw back in the early days of the pandemic people not going forward for investigation, some of our screening programmes were suspended and some people didn't want to attend their appointments, and therapies had to be altered to reduce their risk. The Minister has set out her expectations, and you'll be aware, again, I'm sure, that, prior to the pandemic, we'd invested heavily in radiotherapy equipment and we'd introduced the UK's first complete overhaul of cancer waiting times. So, the Minister has made it very clear to NHS staff, who are continuing to work incredibly hard to respond to the waiting times, what she expects from them, and how we've increased training places to support the NHS, going forward. And we know now that all health boards have initiated rapid diagnostic centres—one-stop shop clinics—for people with symptoms that they can attend as well.