What immediate action is being implemented to address diagnostic delays and improve outcomes for patients in north Wales considering Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board failing to meet cancer care targets?
Health boards in Wales are responsible for planning and delivering services to ensure safe and timely access to diagnostics and treatment for their resident population. Our expectation is that all health boards should be working to achieve the national target of at least 75% of people referred on the suspected cancer pathway starting first definitive treatment within 62 days of the point of suspicion.
The health board is taking a range of actions to improve the timeliness of access to cancer services. These include commissioning additional activity for dermatology, endoscopy and urology, waiting time initiatives and recruitment to key roles to improve the capacity and resilience of challenged tumour sites.
The NHS Executive is directly supporting the health board to reduce unwarranted variation and drive sustainable improvement for cancer waiting times across all parts of Wales, including a focus on component waits across the pathway and increasing straight-to-test rates.
We have launched a £2m national programme to support health boards and NHS trusts to recover cancer waiting time performance for the five cancers with the lowest performance rates. We are investing heavily in cancer services, including tens of millions of pounds in equipment, facilities, training more oncologists and radiologists, modernising and expanding our cancer screening programmes, and introducing rapid diagnostic centres to investigate people with unclear symptoms.