Sir Gavin Williamson has put his support behind Breast Cancer Now’s call for more ambitious breast cancer diagnosis targets to be phased in.
Currently, there is a Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for the NHS where 75% of patients suspected of having cancer should have it ruled out or receive a diagnosis of cancer within 28 days of referral.
Breast Cancer Now’s new Campaign, #NoTimeToWaste, is calling for this target to be raised to 95% and have an additional target for 50% of those referred to be diagnosed or ruled out within 14 days.
Sir Gavin said: “Given the backlog of cancer cases following the pandemic, Back Cancer Now’s new campaign is a timely reminder of the need to keep pushing for better outcomes for cancer patients.
“We absolutely need to be more ambitious with our targets to make sure people are not waiting longer to be seen and diagnosed with breast cancer. Alongside proactive screening, high standards that drive service improvements is our best way to detect breast cancer as early as possible to help treatment and recovery.”