Rishi Sunak has emphasised that faster cancer diagnosis among patients is 'the most important thing' despite concern over long waiting lists for urgent treatment in Bucks.

New NHS figures have revealed that just 57 per cent of cancer patients referred for urgent treatment by their GP in Bucks this June received treatment within two months, in contrast to NHS guidance which states that 85 per cent of patients given urgent referrals should be treated in the same time span. 

The Prime Minister commented on the figures during a visit to Milton Keynes Hospital this morning (August 15), one of the institutions set to benefit from a government pledge to invest £250 million into the NHS and deliver 900 additional beds ahead of winter. 

The Bucks Free Press questioned Mr Sunak about these figures and asked whether he would advise Conservative voters in Buckinghamshire to continue facing long waits or use private healthcare instead.

He replied that the government was taking measures to invest in NHS cancer treatment, especially geared towards early diagnosis which he said was "the most important thing" when it comes to treating the disease.

Mr Sunak added that these measures included investment in community diagnosis and radiotherapy centres, both of which have already been implemented in Milton Keynes.

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He also acknowledged that the number of referrals for cancer treatment across the country had dipped significantly during the Covid pandemic but said they were now at a record high of over 240,000.

"You can see that all the people who didn't get referrals during Covid are getting them now and that is why there's so much pressure on treatments.

"But the NHS is treating more people for cancer diagnosis and diagnosing more people than it ever has done before because of government investment.

"There's a record amount of activity happening, and it is exceeding pre-Covid levels of cancer treatment."

The Prime Minister said similarly to other areas of the NHS, cancer treatment units were still regaining their feet after the disruption to services caused by the pandemic, but added that the UK government remained "committed to bringing them down". 

It comes after Health Secretary Steve Barclay told BBC Breakfast that consultations were underway to reevaluate the current methods of "driving the right outcomes in terms of cancer survival" amid news that the NHS is considering cutting down on its cancer waiting time targets including dropping the two-week wait for an initial consultancy appointment.