Timely diagnostics are critical to the delivery of the cancer reform strategy (2007). However, a number of issues can occur in the time between taking specimens and results being made available. These include administrative errors, limitations in service design (such as dissection management and dissection bench availability), the process of sending out work for second opinions or molecular testing, the process of requesting further work (immunohistochemistry) and multiple different practices among consultants in the reporting process. An initiative by NHS Evidence aims to address these and other issues.