Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

Around 10,500 people in the UK receive a pancreatic cancer diagnosis each year. I sympathise profoundly with anyone who is affected. Cancer patients need firm action from the Government now to address backlogs, bring down waiting lists and improve cancer pathways.

There is an urgent need to improve outcomes for less survivable cancers. Mortality rates for pancreatic cancer have increased by a fifth over the last decade and deaths are more common in people living in the most deprived areas. Pancreatic Cancer UK maintains that years of research underfunding and a lack of focus has resulted in a stagnation in survival, while successive cancer plans and strategies have missed the opportunity to give pancreatic cancer the attention it needs.

Early diagnosis is key to improving survival chances and allows for early intervention and treatment. But I remain concerned that record NHS waiting lists and chronic staff shortages could lead to missed or delayed cancer diagnoses and worse health outcomes.

Ministers point to the impact of the pandemic, but we entered COVID-19 with record waiting lists and cancer targets repeatedly missed. I am concerned that 12 years of mismanagement and a failure to tackle widespread staff vacancies weakened and exposed our health service. A recent cross-party report criticised the Government for lacking any serious plan to tackle gaps in the cancer workforce, which it said is jeopardising earlier diagnosis, treatment and research.

Everyone deserves high quality care. But right now, the NHS does not have enough cancer professionals to provide the support patients need.

I am pleased the Opposition has set out its plan to make the NHS fit for the future and deliver one of the biggest expansions of the NHS workforce in its history, which includes: doubling the number of medical training places; creating 10,000 more nursing and midwifery clinical placements every year; and doubling the number of district nurses qualifying every year. More doctors, more nurses, lower waiting times, and higher standards for patients.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. I urge the Government to set out its plans to improve pancreatic cancer outcomes and ensure our NHS has the staff, equipment and modern technology it needs to treat patients on time.