To mark World Cancer Day, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England have unveiled a new National Cancer Plan. The strategy aims to transform cancer care and outcomes by 2035 through landmark commitments, including a pledge to meet all cancer targets by 2029.
Despite these ambitions, the latest data highlights a significant gap in care: the NHS currently lags 15 percentage points behind its target of starting definitive treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral.
The current picture in Cancer Waiting Times
Since 2015, the NHS has struggled to consistently meet the three core standards that define the cancer care pathway.
The first of these is the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which requires that 75% of people are diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of an urgent referral. This is the only target currently being met. November’s 76.5% performance sustains a six-month trend where figures never dipped below 73.9%. However, the government is raising this standard to 80%.
The 31-day Decision to Treat Standard mandates that 96% of patients start their treatment within 31 days of a doctor deciding on a treatment plan; currently, the NHS is falling short at 91.7%.
The most significant challenge remains the 62-day Referral to Treatment Standard, not met since 2015. This requires that 85% of patients receive their diagnosis and start their first definitive treatment within 62 days of their initial urgent referral. Latest figures show this target is far from being met, with performance sitting at just 70.2%.
Local variations in care
National averages mask significant variations in performance across England’s health boards. While the Faster Diagnosis target was met on a national level, it was missed by 29% of individual health boards. None of the 42 Integrated Care Boards in England met the 62-day standard, whilst only 5% met the 31-day target.
Every health board that missed the faster diagnosis target also failed to meet the 31-day treatment standard. Specific Integrated Care Board (ICB) performance highlights include:
- NHS Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin ICB saw the highest rate of diagnosis within target (86%), while Mid and South Essex ICB saw the lowest (65%).
- North West London Integrated Care Board performed best within the 28-day standard (86%), while Mid and South Essex ICB had the lowest performance.
- The highest rate of definitive treatments started within the 62 day target was seen in Surrey Heartlands ICB (80%), and the lowest in Mid and South Essex ICB (54.2%).
Mapping the targets
Our Cancer Waiting Times dashboard allows you to explore figures in your area and compare performances across ICBs. Double click on the map or use the search bar to view local figures. Alternatively, launch the full map here.
In this visualisation, we have mapped Cancer Waiting Times figures at the ICB level.
The cancer plan measures and scepticisms
To bridge these gaps and reach the 2035 goal of 75% of patients surviving five years post-diagnosis, the government is pledging to invest £2.3 billion in cancer care. This funding aims to deliver 9.5 million additional tests by 2029, a full lung screening rollout by 2030, and the integration of AI, genomics, and robotics into clinical pathways.
Additionally, £10 million per year will be provided to cover travel costs for children and young people receiving care. Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasised that the plan will “give every patient the best possible chance of beating cancer.”
However, health experts caution that the scale of improvement required is unprecedented. Sarah Scobie of the Nuffield Trust noted that “Between April and November last year, there was only a 0.1% improvement in the proportion of patients waiting under 62 days to start cancer treatment.”
“To meet the government’s target of 85% starting treatment within this timeframe by March 2029, we’d need to see improvements of almost 0.4% every single month. That would mean the NHS improving at 30 times the rate it has managed since April.”
