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Cancer: Birmingham

Volume 507: debated on Friday 12 March 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of urgent GP referrals for suspected cancer in Birmingham were seen by a specialist within two weeks of referral in each year since 1997; what percentage of urgent GP referrals of cancer cases in Birmingham were treated within two months of referral in each of those years; what the average waiting time to be seen by a specialist in cases of non-urgent GP referral for suspected cancer in Birmingham was in each such year; what the average time from referral to treatment in cases of non-urgent GP referral for cancer in Birmingham was in each such year; and how many cancer consultants there were in Birmingham in each such year. (321571)

The information is not available in the format requested. However, data relating to the percentage of patients with suspected cancer seen within two weeks (from 2002-03) following urgent referral from a general practitioner, and the percentage of patients with suspected cancer receiving treatment within two months (from 2004-05), in the Birmingham area, has been placed in the Library.

The number of medical consultants working within the six main cancer specialities in the Birmingham area from 1997 to 2008 are shown in the following table:

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Birmingham Children’s Hospital NHS Trust

Birmingham Women’s Healthcare NHS Trust

Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

1997

20

45

12

6

0

1998

18

46

12

6

1

1999

22

44

14

7

3

2000

21

37

14

7

4

2001

24

50

16

6

3

2002

25

46

16

10

3

26

2003

26

48

17

11

6

26

2004

30

56

17

11

6

26

2005

31

66

17

10

5

28

2006

38

57

18

7

6

31

2007

48

66

19

11

5

34

2008

47

73

20

10

5

36

Notes:

1. The six main cancer specialties include clinical oncology, medical oncology, haematology, histopathology, palliative medicine and clinical radiology.

2. Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in 2002 from a part merger of Sandwell Healthcare NHS Trust and City Hospital NHS Trust. It is therefore not possible to accurately map this trust prior to 2002.

Source:

The NHS Information Centre for health and social care, medical and dental workforce census.