Debate contribution: Cancer Waiting Times

Debate contribution by Mr Philip McGuigan on 12 May 2025.

MLA

Mr Philip McGuigan

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

12 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Cancer Waiting Times

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4937437

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I thank the proposer of the motion for bringing the issue to the Chamber today. The most recent statistics for waiting times for cancer patients do not make good reading: they highlight a situation for cancer patients that simply is not good enough. As we have heard, only 87·5% of cancer patients started treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat, instead of the target of 98%. Only 37·9% of patients started treatment within 62 days following an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer, when that target is set at 95%. Just 31·7% of people were seen by a breast cancer specialist within 14 days of an urgent referral, despite the fact that all urgent breast cancer referrals should be seen within two weeks. As I said when I made a Member's statement on the issue in the House a month ago, after the figures were published, we have to acknowledge that several caveats are at play with any statistics, so some caution should be exercised. What is clear, however, is that the reality falls far short of the expectations that people have when they begin their journey of cancer tests and, if appropriate, diagnosis and treatment. It is important to remember that those figures are not just statistics but equate to real people. In many cases, they equate to our own lived experience or that of family members, friends, work colleagues, neighbours or people in our wider communities. Any delay in diagnosis or treatment has the potential to impact on physical and mental health. Anyone who has waited for an appointment following a red-flag or urgent referral will attest to the worry and anxiety that fill the time between that referral and getting the results. For those who receive a cancer diagnosis, the need for urgency in getting any necessary surgery and beginning treatment can become all-consuming. We are now acutely aware of the importance of catching and treating cancer early in order to improve outcomes. Awareness-raising campaigns that encourage us all to be alert to early indications of certain types of cancers have been very effective. They allow the continued growth of opportunities to screen people who do not have symptoms, which has, no doubt, helped to save lives. It is important that that is followed up by timely intervention. That is good not just for patients but for the health service as a whole. We are into the third year of a 10-year cancer strategy, and we must do better. The Minister must build on the cancer strategy's recommendations, including a focus on cancer research, which has a key role in improving diagnostics, treatment options and, ultimately, patient outcomes. The concerns raised in the Auditor General's recent report on the condition of imaging equipment such as MRI and CT scanners need to be addressed. I hope that the Minister will provide an update on that in his response. Where improvements and progress towards reducing waiting times are being made, that should be acknowledged. The rapid diagnosis centres and mega-clinics referred to in the motion are good example of that. I welcome the additional £10 million that has been allocated to those clinics and the commitment to invest in red-flag and time-critical services, capacity-building and clearing the backlog. The Minister's statement last week was welcome, but the implementation plans, which are to be published later this month, must include clear targets, timelines and performance indicators. Transparency will be key to building public confidence that the investment is being used to its maximum effect. Today is International Nurses Day. I record my support for and appreciation of all our nurses and all those training to be nurses for their compassion and hard work and the invaluable role that they play in supporting patients across all settings in our health service, helping our communities and keeping our people healthy. In the context of the debate, we are all aware of the pressures on our health service and the people who work in it, so, again, I take the opportunity to recognise that and the work of all our healthcare professionals.

681 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:22 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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