I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided to the Hon Member for South Northamptonshire and the Hon Member for Hinckley and Bosworth on 3 and 15 July 2026 in response to Questions 13714 and 14438.

Early diagnosis is a key focus of the National Cancer Plan. The Government is committed to supporting the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including leukaemia, as early and quickly as possible and to improve outcomes for patients.

To support earlier diagnosis of blood cancers, including leukaemia, NHS England has implemented non-specific symptom pathways for patients presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss and fatigue that do not clearly align to a particular tumour type. Blood cancers, including leukaemia, are among the most common cancers diagnosed through these pathways.

Recognising that leukaemia is not captured by the current stage-based measure of early diagnosis, the National Cancer Plan commits to publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, as a proxy for late or ineffective diagnosis. Adding this to the basket of early diagnosis metrics will help incentivise systems and providers to focus on earlier diagnosis of blood cancers.

The National Cancer Plan also includes measures to strengthen diagnostic services by investing in diagnostic capacity and expanding access to tests and scans. Community diagnostic centres are playing an important role in supporting earlier diagnosis, with 109 centres now open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, offering at least one diagnostic test during extended hours. The Government also plans to open four additional community diagnostic centres, helping more patients access diagnostic services closer to home and at times that fit around work and family commitments.

The plan will also support earlier diagnosis through the wider use of innovative technologies, including artificial intelligence, where supported by evidence, and by ensuring every patient who would benefit from a genomic test can receive one within a clinically relevant timeframe.

Recognising that blood cancers such as leukaemia do not behave like many other cancers and are not captured by stage-based early diagnosis metrics, the National Cancer Plan also commits to publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings. This will improve understanding of diagnostic performance, help identify where further intervention is needed, and support earlier diagnosis of leukaemia and other blood cancers.

NHS England is supporting development of a suspected haematology cancer timed diagnostic pathway, which is being developed by Leukaemia UK, Lymphoma Action, and Myeloma UK.

Publication of this pathway document is expected later this year.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster so that more patients, including those with leukaemia, survive.

The National Disease Registration Service collects information on how many people in England are diagnosed with or treated for cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms, which is available at the following link:

https://nhsd-ndrs.shinyapps.io/incidence_and_mortality/

This creates a clinically rich data resource that is used to measure diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for patients diagnosed with cancer.

The 28-day faster diagnosis standard is a performance standard that aims to have a patient diagnosed or cancer ruled out within 28-days from referral. This performance metric monitors diagnostic performance and delays in diagnosis across cancer types, including leukaemia. It is published monthly and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

The NHS is taking crucial steps to improve cancer outcomes for patients across England, including for leukaemia. We will improve cancer survival rates and hit all NHS cancer waiting time targets, so no patient waits longer than they should.

To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers, like leukaemia, are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

To diagnose blood cancer earlier and treat it faster, we will support the NHS to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in diagnostic capacity.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the National Health Service diagnoses cancer earlier and treats it faster so that more patients, including those with leukaemia, survive.

The National Disease Registration Service collects information on how many people in England are diagnosed with or treated for cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms, which is available at the following link:

https://nhsd-ndrs.shinyapps.io/incidence_and_mortality/

This creates a clinically rich data resource that is used to measure diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for patients diagnosed with cancer.

The 28-day faster diagnosis standard is a performance standard that aims to have a patient diagnosed or cancer ruled out within 28-days from referral. This performance metric monitors diagnostic performance and delays in diagnosis across cancer types, including leukaemia. It is published monthly and is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

The NHS is taking crucial steps to improve cancer outcomes for patients across England, including for leukaemia. We will improve cancer survival rates and hit all NHS cancer waiting time targets, so no patient waits longer than they should.

To tackle late diagnoses of blood cancers, the NHS is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers, like leukaemia, are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

To diagnose blood cancer earlier and treat it faster, we will support the NHS to meet the demand for diagnostic services through investment in diagnostic capacity.

The Government recognises that timely access to diagnostic tests is an important part of early and faster cancer diagnosis, including for blood cancers. The National Cancer Plan sets out the Government’s commitment to improve earlier diagnosis and faster treatment for cancer patients, including those with leukaemia.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, Suspected cancer: recognition and referral, supports the identification of children, young people and adults with symptoms that could be caused by cancer. The guideline recommends that people with specific symptoms should be offered a very urgent full blood count to assess for leukaemia.

To support earlier diagnosis of blood cancers, the National Health Service is also implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

NHS England continues to work to improve timely access to diagnostic services, including pathology and blood testing, as part of wider efforts to increase diagnostic capacity and reduce waiting times across the system.

The National Cancer Plan for England, released on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment.

The Government is committed to helping the NHS England detect cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and provide faster treatment to improve outcomes.

NHS England uses non‑specific symptom pathways for people presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue or general illness that do not point to a particular cancer type. These pathways are especially important for detecting blood cancers, which often present with vague or non‑specific symptoms.

In addition to ongoing investment in diagnostic capacity, including new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanners, we will support NHS England to diagnose all cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and ensure patients can begin treatment as quickly as possible.

The Department will work to end the postcode lottery to ensure that access to the best cancer diagnosis, treatment and care is available for everyone, including leukaemia patients.

The Department is working with partners such as the Royal College of Pathologists, Cancer Alliances, and genomics programme leads to strengthen diagnostic workforce capacity across cancer services, including pathology and cancer genomics. This includes investment in new training pathways, digital pathology, and genomics education, all of which support timely and accurate diagnosis for people with blood cancers, including leukemia.

NHS England is investing in expanding specialty training posts in high-demand disciplines, including haematology, and is supporting local systems to retain and develop multidisciplinary teams. This includes increasing medical training posts in haematology and enhancing the scientific workforce supply through initiatives such as the Scientist Training Programme and Higher Specialist Scientist Training.

As of February 2026, there are 2,318 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of Haematology in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. This is 130, or 6%, more than a year ago. This also includes 1,082 FTE consultants, which is 51, or 4.9%, more than a year ago.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan later this spring to put the NHS workforce on a sustainable footing so staff can deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

The National Cancer Plan for England, released on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment.

The Government is committed to helping the NHS England detect cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and provide faster treatment to improve outcomes.

NHS England uses non‑specific symptom pathways for people presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue or general illness that do not point to a particular cancer type. These pathways are especially important for detecting blood cancers, which often present with vague or non‑specific symptoms.

In addition to ongoing investment in diagnostic capacity, including new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanners, we will support NHS England to diagnose all cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and ensure patients can begin treatment as quickly as possible.

The Department will work to end the postcode lottery to ensure that access to the best cancer diagnosis, treatment and care is available for everyone, including leukaemia patients.

The Department is working with partners such as the Royal College of Pathologists, Cancer Alliances, and genomics programme leads to strengthen diagnostic workforce capacity across cancer services, including pathology and cancer genomics. This includes investment in new training pathways, digital pathology, and genomics education, all of which support timely and accurate diagnosis for people with blood cancers, including leukemia.

NHS England is investing in expanding specialty training posts in high-demand disciplines, including haematology, and is supporting local systems to retain and develop multidisciplinary teams. This includes increasing medical training posts in haematology and enhancing the scientific workforce supply through initiatives such as the Scientist Training Programme and Higher Specialist Scientist Training.

As of February 2026, there are 2,318 full-time equivalent (FTE) doctors working in the specialty of Haematology in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. This is 130, or 6%, more than a year ago. This also includes 1,082 FTE consultants, which is 51, or 4.9%, more than a year ago.

We will publish a 10 Year Workforce Plan later this spring to put the NHS workforce on a sustainable footing so staff can deliver the transformed service set out in the 10-Year Health Plan.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such leukaemia, as early and quickly as possible to improve outcomes.

To tackle late diagnoses leukaemia, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The NHS will diagnose leukaemia earlier and will treat it faster. In April 2026, the Department announced its plan to open four new community diagnostic centres during 2026/27. The Department also announced that a further 32 existing centres will be expanded and enhanced. The 36 centres are backed by a £237 million Government investment.

To improve survival, the National Cancer Plan for England commits to reducing the number of rare cancers, such as leukaemia, diagnosed in emergency settings. The Department and NHS England will address this by publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, as a proxy for late or ineffective diagnosis. Adding this to the basket of early diagnosis metrics will help incentivise systems and providers to focus on earlier diagnosis of blood cancers.

The National Cancer Plan for England, published on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment. The Government is committed to helping NHS England detect cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and provide faster treatment to improve outcomes.

NHS England uses non‑specific symptom pathways for people presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or general illness that do not point to a particular cancer type. These pathways are especially important for detecting blood cancers, which often present with vague or non‑specific symptoms.

In addition, ongoing investment in diagnostic capacity, including new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners, the Government will support NHS England to diagnose all cancers, including blood cancers, earlier to ensure patients can begin treatment as quickly as possible.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a guideline on suspected cancer called Recognition and referral, which aims to support the identification of children, young people, and adults with symptoms that could be caused by cancer. The guideline provides guidance on appropriate investigations in primary care, and the selection of people to refer for a specialist opinion. The guideline recommends that people with specific symptoms should be offered a very urgent full blood count to assess for leukaemia. Local National Health Service organisations are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in ensuring that their services meet the needs of their local populations. The NHS is held to account to deliver guidelines, which include all NICE directions, at a local and regional level.

The National Cancer Plan for England, published on 4 February 2026, sets out a commitment to diagnose cancers earlier and ensure people receive timely, effective treatment. The Government is committed to helping NHS England detect cancers, including blood cancers, earlier and provide faster treatment to improve outcomes.

NHS England uses non‑specific symptom pathways for people presenting with symptoms such as unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or general illness that do not point to a particular cancer type. These pathways are especially important for detecting blood cancers, which often present with vague or non‑specific symptoms.

In addition, ongoing investment in diagnostic capacity, including new magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography scanners, the Government will support NHS England to diagnose all cancers, including blood cancers, earlier to ensure patients can begin treatment as quickly as possible.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a guideline on suspected cancer called Recognition and referral, which aims to support the identification of children, young people, and adults with symptoms that could be caused by cancer. The guideline provides guidance on appropriate investigations in primary care, and the selection of people to refer for a specialist opinion. The guideline recommends that people with specific symptoms should be offered a very urgent full blood count to assess for leukaemia. Local National Health Service organisations are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in ensuring that their services meet the needs of their local populations. The NHS is held to account to deliver guidelines, which include all NICE directions, at a local and regional level.

It is a priority for the Government to support the National Health Service to diagnose cancer, including blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia, as early and quickly as possible to improve outcomes.

To tackle late diagnoses of acute myeloid leukaemia, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The NHS will diagnose acute myeloid leukaemia earlier and will treat it faster. In April 2026, the Department announced its plan to open four new community diagnostic centres during 2026/27. The Department also announced a further 32 centres, which will be expanded and enhanced. The 36 centres are backed by a £237 million Government investment.

To improve survival, the National Cancer Plan for England commits to reducing the number of rare cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, such as acute myeloid leukaemia. The Department and NHS England will address this by publishing regular data on the number of these cancers diagnosed in emergency settings, as a proxy for late or ineffective diagnosis. Adding this to the basket of early diagnosis metrics will help incentivise systems and providers to focus on earlier diagnosis of blood cancers.

It is important that patients with acute myeloid leukaemia can access safe and effective treatments when they need them. The Government’s priority is to maintain the continuity of supply of all medicines, including those sourced from abroad, and to take action with suppliers, National Health Service organisations, and regulators where supply issues arise.

Where there are no licensed available medicines in the United Kingdom, companies may manufacture or import unlicensed medicines. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency operates established routes that can enable clinicians and pharmacists to obtain unlicensed medicines for individual patients. Funding for these medicines is not set nationally. Instead, decisions on commissioning, procurement, and reimbursement for unlicensed medicines are made locally by NHS commissioners, who are best placed to determine how resources are allocated to meet the needs of their populations.

Acute myeloid leukaemia is rare in babies, as there are approximately 10 cases in England each year. Standard upfront chemotherapy is available but options for patients who do not respond to standard chemotherapy or relapse are limited. NHS England encourages clinicians to submit proposals to expand the range of clinical commissioning policies, helping to ensure that patients are able to access the latest, evidence-based treatments and care.

The Department continues to work with NHS England, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to support the development of new treatments for rare paediatric cancers.

The National Cancer Plan will seek to improve outcomes for all cancers, including non-stageable cancers such as leukaemia. The Department remains committed to the early diagnosis of cancer and to improving outcomes for patients. However, we recognise that there is more to be done to ensure that patients with harder to stage cancers, such as blood cancer, receive fast and early diagnoses.

The National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

We have engaged extensively with Cancer 52 and other cancer charities, including Leukaemia UK to inform development of the National Cancer Plan, which will be published shortly. We have listened to concerns about existing early diagnosis targets and considered the feasibility of adopting new metrics to track progress, including suggestions from stakeholders that we track emergency presentation. Further details on our approach to early diagnosis, including how we can improve outcomes for rarer cancers, will be set out in due course.

The Department is determined to take all the necessary steps to improve early diagnosis for all cancers, including blood cancers such as leukaemia.

To accomplish this, the National Health Service is implementing non-specific symptom pathways for patients who present with symptoms such as weight loss and fatigue, which do not clearly align to a tumour type. Blood cancers are one of the most common cancer types diagnosed through these pathways.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has a guideline on suspected cancer called ‘recognition and referral’ which aim to support the identification of children, young people and adults with symptoms that could be caused by cancer’. The guideline provides guidance on appropriate investigations in primary care, and the selection of people to refer for a specialist opinion. The guideline recommends that people with specific symptoms should be offered a very urgent full blood count to assess for leukaemia. Local NHS organisations are expected to take NICE guidelines fully into account in ensuring that their services meet the needs of their local populations. The NHS is held to account to deliver guidelines, which include all NICE directions, at local and regional level.

The National Cancer Plan for England will cover the entirety of the cancer pathway, from referral and diagnosis to treatment and ongoing care, as well as prevention. The plan will seek to improve every aspect of cancer care to better the experience and outcomes for all patient groups, including leukaemia patients.

The National Disease Registration Service collects information on how many people in England are diagnosed with or treated for cancer. Blood cancer is included as a distinct category, labelled haematological neoplasms, with further information avaiable at the following link:

https://nhsd-ndrs.shinyapps.io/incidence_and_mortality/

This creates a clinically rich data resource that is used to measure diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes for patients diagnosed with cancer.

The 28-day faster diagnosis standard is a performance standard that aims to have a patient diagnosed with or have cancer ruled out within 28-days from referral. This performance metric monitors diagnostic performance and delays in diagnosis across cancer types, including leukaemia. It is published monthly and can be found at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/

Data is collected on cancer survival, with the most recent dataset being published in February 2023, which provides survival data from 2016 to 2020, followed up to 2021. The next publication will be released soon and will provide data on cancer survival diagnosed from 2018 to 2022 followed up to 2023. The survival datasets can be found at the following link:

https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/cancer-survival-in-england#latest-statistics