Southwark needs to do more to meet the 2028 national target of early cancer diagnosis, the chair of its health scrutiny commission has said.

Councillor Suzanne Abachor, whose day job is in a hospital, asked at a committee meeting, “Do we know why Southwark is still significantly denying early diagnosis?”

The committee’s review said that in November 2023 south-east London was shown to have improved its 12-month average early diagnosis rate by five per cent, the highest increase compared to pre-pandemic data.

In 2023, the Council’s cancer screening update admitted its breast screening uptake did not meet national standards, cervical screening coverage had gradually declined in recent years and rates of bowel screening remained substantially below both the London and national average.

The NHS long term plan lays out a “national ambition” to increase the proportion of cancers diagnosed at Stage 1 and 2 to 75 per cent by 2028.

According to analysis by the BBC, just three hospital trusts out of 121 in England are treating cancer patients within 62 days, the NHS target for care. Early treatment is crucial, research shows, with even a four-week delay reducing patient mortality.

Southwark is part of an initiative to contact men at higher risk of prostate cancer, including Black men over 45 and anyone over 45 with a family history of prostate cancer. The Council is also working with Latin American communities to increase their understanding of the NHS by offering material in different languages. Overall, access to medical appointments is also being improved.