To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of how to address cancer treatment waiting times, in line with the priorities in the draft Programme for Government 2024-2027.

Our cancer waiting times are unacceptable.

To make sure people wait shorter we need to reform healthcare services to provide our clinicians with the most effective tools to do their job.

Elective Care Centres is one way we help to address this issue. These centres of excellence makes surgery outcomes improve and provide a more effective and efficient service.

We must also ensure that pathways into cancer services are as streamlined as possible.

To this end, reviews of the three main haematological cancer pathways have been completed. This will ensure the best pathways for our patients ensuring faster treatment and better outcomes.

We are also leading the way in implementing an optimal care pathway for Pancreatic Cancer – this has the potential to significantly reduce waiting times for suspected pancreatic cancer patients. I hope that this model of work can then be rolled out across other tumour sites reducing waits.

My officials are also working with the HSC to establish more resilient and equitable services for patients with breast cancer, and Head and Neck Cancer.

The Cancer Strategy establishes a strategic roadmap to improve outcomes for all patients who require cancer treatment and must be fully implemented.

While some of this can be achieved through existing resources, additional investment in workforce and capital equipment is essential if we are to increase capacity to meet service demands.