Dear constituent,

Thank you for contacting me about action to improve early diagnosis of leukaemia.

I sympathise profoundly with anyone who is affected by cancer. I agree that improving diagnosis must be a priority for the Government. Key to this will be increasing the number of diagnosticians, improving public awareness and screening programmes, and ensuring that GPs have the training, resources and support they need to identify symptoms and refer patients quickly.

Leukaemia can be hard to diagnose because, while there are several signs and symptoms, they are non-specific and can be associated with other more common health problems. Even short delays between diagnosis and treatment can significantly impact a patient’s chances of survival. It is vital that anyone with suspected cancer receives effective and timely diagnosis and referral, and that all cancer patients receive the care and treatment they need.

The NHS Long Term Plan identifies cancer as a clinical priority and aims to improve survival by speeding up diagnosis. It includes ambitions to extend screening and overhaul diagnostic services with the aim of diagnosing 75% of cancers at stages one or two by 2028.

While these aspirations are welcome, I remain concerned that a decade of underfunding and understaffing has left cancer services unable to keep pace with demand. There are over 100,000 vacancies across the NHS and the Government has repeatedly missed the national cancer waiting time target.

The impact of the pandemic on cancer pathways has also meant delays in diagnosis, tests, and treatment. As the blood cancer charity Leukaemia Care highlights, leukaemia already has a significantly higher rate of emergency diagnosis than the overall cancer average. This has been made worse by the pandemic.

We need a fully resourced plan to address the backlog of unmet cancer need that has been growing since the start of the pandemic. A credible strategy to recruit the cancer workforce of the future is also essential, as well as ensuring that existing staff are supported and suitably equipped to recognise and diagnose leukaemia and support patients throughout their treatment.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Peter Dowd MP