Welcoming today's announcement of a new, £2.3bn national cancer plan for England, Dr Clare McNaught, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh said:
"NHS cancer performance targets in England have not been met by since 2015 and our patient outcomes from cancer care lag significantly behind our European counterparts."
"We therefore welcome the publication of this Ten-Year Cancer Plan which pledges to address the deficiencies in our cancer diagnosis and treatment pathway and to address the impact of social deprivation on cancer survival."
"The Government have set an ambitious target to meet all three waiting times standards by 2029 and that by 2035, 75% of patients will be either cancer-free or have their cancer under control five years after diagnosis."
"It also states that 9.5m more tests will be delivered by 2029 and commits to significant investment in digital technology, automated testing and robotic-assisted surgery."
"Whilst we support the adoption of new innovative technologies such as robotics and AI in cancer treatment, we urge the Government to first address the basic issues that are delaying cancer care now, such as antiquated IT and diagnostic facilities that are widespread in our current system."
"Surgeons and their teams play a hugely important role in treating cancers, so to improve patient outcomes, we need to also invest in the training and development of our healthcare workforce, ensuring they are equipped with the skills to care for our cancer patients of the future."