74,000 people did not start their cancer treatment on time last year, according to latest data from NHS England.
The NHS has confirmed that the majority of Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) did not meet targets set for cancer waiting times.
This is measured according to three standards: the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which calls for 75% of people to be diagnosed within 28 days of an urgent referral; the 31 day Decision to Treat Standard, which sets out that 96% of people should start treatment within 31 days of doctors deciding a treatment plan; and the 62 day Referral to Treatment Standard, which states that 85% of people should receive their diagnosis and have started their first treatment within 62 days of referral.
In the month of December 2024, 10 Integrated Care Boards missed the Faster Diagnosis Standard, 36 missed the 31 day Treatment Decision Standard, and all 42 missed the 62 day Referral to Treatment Standard. Throughout the final quarter of 2024 the latter target has been consistently missed, with none of the 42 ICBs meeting this since August.
In the ICBs of Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Mid and South Essex less than 70% of individuals had been diagnosed within the 28 day period. Additionally, in the latter, only 55% started treatment within 31 days after doctors decided a treatment plan.
On average, across the three measures, the NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board registered the best performance (88%), whilst the Mid and South Essex Integrated Care Board registered the worst (68%).
Data viewpoints
Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK: “Hardworking NHS staff are doing their best, and last year we saw a slight improvement in cancer waiting times from the year before. However, there is still a long way to go, and the UK Government must act.”
“The National Cancer Plan can be a turning point for cancer patients across England, but the UK Government must invest in staff and equipment, alongside reforms, if it’s to hit all cancer waiting time targets by the end of this parliament. It’s the least that cancer patients deserve.”
Dame Laura Lee, chief executive of Maggie’s: “Every single one of those 74,000 people have had their lives changed forever by their diagnosis, and coping with that news can be so much harder when you also have to wait too long to start treatment.”
Professor Pat Price, oncologist and chair of Radiotherapy UK: “We need an ambitious cancer plan that gets cancer patients in this country the treatment they need on time, tackles the crisis in radiotherapy, and reinforces the cancer workforce.”
About the data
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