One of the few bright moments for Labour politicians slouching grimly towards electoral doom at this year's party conference was the announcement that GPs will soon be able to refer suspected cancer patients for key diagnostic tests within 1 week. This initiative was applauded by delegates, acclaimed by the Guardian (‘could save up to 10 000 lives a year’) and welcomed by cancer charities.1 The president of the Royal College of General Practitioners hailed it ‘one of the most important breakthroughs’ for GPs, claiming that it represented ‘a major vote of confidence in the ability and professionalism of GPs who for too long have been dismissed as the poor relations of our specialist colleagues’.2
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