AQW 8333/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 07/10/2020
Answered On Date: 16/12/2020
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health (i) for his assessment of the recent figures from the Northern Health and Social Care Trust regarding the 14-day waiting time targets for patients to see a breast cancer specialist following an urgent referral for suspected cancer; (ii) to detail the reasons for these figures; and (iii) how he plans to improve these waiting times.

Answer:

Whilst I was disappointed by the most recently published cancer waiting time figures (April-June 2020) regarding the 14-day target for breast cancer assessment in the Northern Trust, I note that all patients diagnosed with breast cancer had their surgery in a timely fashion and within the 31-day treatment target. The delay in providing timely assessment within the 14-day target was mainly due to the initial impact of hygiene and social distancing restrictions and the need to divert resources to meet the challenge of COVID-19. The breast assessment service has been stabilised within the Trust with the appointment of an additional breast surgeon in September 2020.

Furthermore, in June of this year I established a Cancer Services Rebuilding Cell to oversee the resumption of cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment in clinically safe environments as quickly as possible, and to protect these services as much as possible throughout the pandemic, taking into account existing capacity constraints and the ongoing threat of COVID-19. I published a policy statement on 7 October 2020 setting out my Department’s approach to Rebuilding and Stabilisation of Cancer Services, including stabilisation plans for oncology and haematology, and cancer services rebuild plans. Details are available on my Department’s website.

As we continue to stabilise and rebuild services in these challenging circumstances it is important to note that all patients are treated according to clinical priority, as determined by specialist clinicians. One of my primary aims is to ensure the continued delivery of high quality cancer services, provided of course that it is safe to do so.