NDM8794 Welsh Conservatives Debate - Cancer services

NDM8794 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the January 2025 “Cancer Services in Wales” report by Audit Wales.

2. Regrets that the Welsh Labour Government has:

a) consistently failed to hit the 75 per cent target for cancer patients starting treatment within 62 days since August 2020;

b) caused confusion, undermining its own Cancer Improvement Plan by providing insufficient clarity to the NHS and third sector bodies; and

c) provided neither strong nor clear national leadership to help drive necessary improvements to cancer diagnosis and treatment.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) set a clear timeframe to meet the 75 per cent target for cancer patients starting treatment within 62 days;

b) publicly clarify the statuses of each of their cancer improvement plans and their interactions with each other;

c) utilise cross-sector, cross-community and cross-border capacity to drive down the longest waits for cancer treatment; and

d) implement Audit Wales’s 10 recommendations from the January 2025 “Cancer Services in Wales” report.

Audit Wales: Cancer Services in Wales

A Cancer Improvement Plan for NHS Wales 2023-2026

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Recognises, as set out in the Audit Wales Cancer Services in Wales report:

a) real terms spending on cancer services has increased to almost £720 million, considerably higher than the real-terms growth in NHS Wales spending; and

b) five-year cancer survival rates have improved for people diagnosed with cancer between 2002-06 and 2016-22.

Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) support NHS Wales organisations to improve cancer waiting time performance;

b) update the Quality Statement for Cancer to clarify roles, responsibilities and system metrics; and

c) introduce a National Cancer Steering Group to improve coordination of the NHS effort to improve cancer services.

The quality statement for cancer | GOV.WALES

If amendment 1 is agreed, amendments 2 and 3 will be de-selected.

Amendment 2 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

Add as new point after point 2 and renumber accordingly:

Regrets that the Less Survivable Cancers Taskforce analysis shows that Wales, compared with 33 similar countries is in position 32 for stomach cancer, 31 for pancreatic and lung cancer, 21 for liver and oesophageal cancer and 12 for brain cancer.

Amendment 3 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

In point 3, delete sub-point (c) and replace with:

strengthen structures for regional co-operation in order to better identify capacity and address the postcode lottery in relation to quality and timeliness of care;

Amendment 4 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

Add as new point at end of motion:

Notes that the recommendations of the Audit Wales report correspond with those outlined in the Plaid Cymru report, published in November, on reforming the NHS governance structure, and calls upon Welsh Government to implement the recommendations on reforming governance in accordance with those noted in the Plaid Cymru report.

The Welsh Health System: Accountability, Performance and Culture