{"value":{"id":1237252,"askingMemberId":4079,"askingMember":null,"house":"Commons","memberHasInterest":false,"dateTabled":"2020-09-23T00:00:00","dateForAnswer":"2020-09-25T00:00:00","uin":"94403","questionText":"To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on cancer waiting times.","answeringBodyId":17,"answeringBodyName":"Department of Health and Social Care","isWithdrawn":false,"isNamedDay":false,"groupedQuestions":[],"answerIsHolding":false,"answerIsCorrection":false,"answeringMemberId":4380,"answeringMember":null,"correctingMemberId":null,"correctingMember":null,"dateAnswered":"2020-11-05T00:00:00","answerText":"<p>At the beginning of the pandemic, the National Health Service faced significant pressures as it responded to patient demand from COVID-19 cases. The action taken to free up capacity included the postponement of non-urgent elective treatment while protecting urgent services.</p><p>However, during the pandemic, key waiting times were at maintained at pre-pandemic levels. From March to July 2020, over 91% of people referred urgently were seen by a consultant within two weeks - the same as in March to July 2019 - and 95% of people started a first treatment for cancer within a month of a decision to treat, compared to 96% in March to July 2019.</p>","originalAnswerText":"","comparableAnswerText":"","dateAnswerCorrected":null,"dateHoldingAnswer":null,"attachmentCount":0,"heading":"Cancer","attachments":[],"groupedQuestionsDates":[]},"links":[{"rel":"self","href":"/Questions/1237252","method":"GET"}]}