Sarah Boseley writes: Labour has ensured that cancer patients get seen faster by a consultant than they used to and are pledging to speed up the service still further. But today the Liberal Democrats have moved the agenda on, arguing they have identified the "hidden wait" for diagnostic tests and radiotherapy that can keep all hospital patients, not just those with suspected cancer, hanging about for months.
It's not very well hidden – every audit of the cancer service has shown up this blockage. The government has invested large amounts of money to replace old, inefficient scanners with modern equipment, but the real problem now is the shortage of staff to run them. Regular surveys from the Royal College of Radiotherapists have made this clear.
The Lib Dems say they will make £350m available and put scanners and diagnostic machines in GP surgeries and pharmacies as well as hospitals but there is limit to what can be achieved before the needed radiotherapists finish training.
Labour today does its usual careful tiptoe around the "nanny state" issue while acknowledging the really crucial need to do more on public health. Tony Blair reiterated the pledges in the Public Health white paper on children, with more Jamie Oliver-style school meals and school sport, and adults who want to help themselves, for instance by quitting smoking. But public health experts believe not much will be achieved without more drastic action such as a ban on smoking in public places, as in Ireland and California.
Sarah Boseley is the Guardian's health editor
