Baroness Redfern (Con)

My Lords, it is a privilege to have the opportunity to contribute to this important debate regarding improving cancer outcomes and diagnostic care and research. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Patel, on securing it. I shall first concentrate on the importance of early diagnosis, which, as we are all aware, can and does improve cancer outcomes. I note that in the 12 months to September 2025, early diagnosis rates were 3.5 percentage points above the pre-pandemic level, equating to around 10,000 more people being diagnosed at stages 1 and 2. I also welcome the commitment to reducing the significant number of rare and less survivable cancers that are diagnosed in an emergency setting. I specifically mention children and young people whose cancers are often more aggressive and faster growing, and which require specialist intervention to ensure that the right treatment is given at the right time in the right place. When patients receive a cancer diagnosis, everything is fluid and seems uncontrollable. They are desperate for treatment to begin but, all too often, patients living in rural and coastal communities have longer waiting times for a preliminarily diagnosis. As research shows, for some cancers, a four-week delay in starting treatment increases the risk of death by 10%. All sides of this Room desperately want to see clear improvements in cancer survival and outcomes, so this plan has to demonstrate commitment to a detailed trajectory for improvement against real-time scale settings. I will also focus on radiotherapy. I very much welcome more diagnostic centres with more community diagnostic centres being opened on evenings and weekends, and investments in 28 cutting-edge radiotherapy machines engaging in a more fluid process. But the crux of the matter is that we urgently need many more radiographers. This would make it easier for radiotherapy centres to use cutting-edge, stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, which is crucial to so many patients. An end of radiotherapy deserts is what we all want to see. The national figure for access to radiotherapy is 53%, which does not seem particularly high in itself. However, compare this figure to that in my area, Yorkshire and the Humber region: it is 35%, which cannot be fair. Improved data transparency on the quality of care and performance of trusts’ cancer outcomes should not be dependent on someone’s location in the country, so much more work is required to bring postcode lotteries to an end. Targets in the plan are also welcomed but, if they are to be met, there is a need for workforce expansion, especially in radiology and clinical nurse specialists. The radiotherapy workforce stands at approximately 6,400, with a 15% vacancy rate for clinical oncologists and a 10% vacancy rate for therapeutic radiographers and healthcare science workers. We also need improved training and pathways into oncology and radiotherapy specifically. The withdrawal of the previously agreed £15.5 million to support the implementation of AI auto-contouring across England was a damaging blow to progress in radiotherapy, as this software can reduce the planning process, saving consultants lots of precious time. It is estimated that there are at least 22 machines currently operational past the 10-year recommended lifespan and, by the end of 2026, that increases by an additional 27, so the need for a rolling programme of machine replacement is very clear. It is urgently required. Finally, more outlining of operational details and milestones is required to deliver these cancer ambitions. As many others do, I look forward to future early diagnosis in this field, which will fundamentally improve outcomes for all cancer patients, wherever they live. I look forward to the Minister’s response.