Responding to a report on cancer services by the health and social care select committee, Miriam Deakin, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said:

"We welcome the committee's report which rightly highlights critical NHS staff shortages affecting cancer services and across the board.

"Trusts are doing everything they can to tackle care backlogs but need more staff to be able to reduce delays and to treat patients as quickly as possible. Our recent survey of trust leaders found that almost all (97%) say workforce shortages are having a serious and detrimental impact on services.

"Throughout the pandemic, which has affected many cancer patients' diagnoses and treatment, NHS staff have worked tirelessly and continue to work flat out to deliver care amid ongoing pressures from COVID-19. The number of urgent cancer referrals and diagnoses are at very high levels again, and recent national investment in diagnostics is welcome, but the bottom line is that we need a significant boost in staffing numbers to tackle this challenge.

"It's vital that the government comes up with a fully-costed and funded workforce plan to ensure that the NHS has the staff it needs to meet increased demand for cancer and other services now and in the future, and backs an amendment to the Health and Care Bill going through parliament requiring ministers to publish regular independent assessments of the number of health and care workers we need."