Written question asked by Stephen Pound (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 November 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 November 2018. It was answered by Steve Brine (Conservative) on Wednesday, 14 November 2018 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Pathology

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of the provision of histopathologists to meet future demand.

Answer: Health Education England (HEE) published its first ever Cancer Workforce Plan in December 2017, which commits to the expansion of capacity and skills including an ambition to increase improved working practices, attracting qualified people back to the National Health Service through domestic and international recruitment. This included 94 full time equivalent additional histopathologists to support an increase in the capacity for earlier diagnosis. Following the commitment to lower the bowel screening age to 50 and roll out the Faecal Immunology Test, HEE has been engaging with stakeholders to ensure that the cancer workforce, including histopathologists, is sufficient for future cancer services.

Secondary information