AQW 7593/17-22

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 25/09/2020
Answered On Date: 26/10/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health what action he is taking to address cancer treatment delays and ensure a safe resumption and continuance of services.

Answer:

The Strategic Framework for Rebuilding Health and Social Care (HSC) Services which I published in June identified cancer as a key priority, recognising the adverse impact of COVID-19 on referral and treatment waiting times. Under this Framework each Trust has produced plans to reset cancer services as quickly as possible in an environment which is safe for both staff and patients. However, this remains extremely challenging as we face a further peak in community transmission of COVID-19, due to the need for our health service to respond to the current surge in hospital admissions.

The Framework and associated Trust plans are available at: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/rebuilding-hsc-services.