Professor Arnold Hill:

I deal with breast cancer. When I have patients with breast cancer, their tests are prioritised. I am referring to the staging tests, the CT scan and bone scan. These are done in a very timely fashion. If I wanted to operate within two weeks, I know the staging tests will be done in a timely fashion. That puts pressure on the system in that everything else waits, but cancer is absolutely prioritised. It is the same when a patient is referred. Those deemed most likely to have cancer on triage will get a mammogram first. If there is an excessive waiting list for mammograms for low-risk patients, we generally put in place systems to make sure they get done within a reasonable timeframe. One could argue that if one does not have cancer, one is discriminated against. That is a challenge.