The Prime Minister has been taken to task by Jeremy Corbyn over the 36% increase in the number of people waiting more than six weeks for cancer diagnostic tests.
In Prime Ministers Questions today, the leader of the opposition also said that targets to start cancer treatment within 62 days of diagnosis had not been met for 19 months.
He noted that the number of training places for clinical radiologists had dropped by 5%, despite calls to increase numbers in training.
David Cameron admitted that the Government was ’currently falling short of the 62 days target’, but added that the target for 93% patients to be seen by a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral was also currently being exceeded.
Pulse has already shown how drives to boost cancer diagnosis amidst funding squeeze have caused problems for GPs after CCGs began offering incentive payments for GPs to reduce referrals, including cancer referrals, sparking an NHS England inquiry.
