Proposal to eliminate cancer wait time targets and the underlying issues in the NHS

author: FutureCar Staff    

Health experts have been divided over the news that the Government and NHS England are planning to scrap cancer targets for patients to see a specialist within two weeks. The pressure on NHS cancer services has been increasing in recent years, with multiple targets regularly being missed. As a result, officials are set to announce changes in the coming days.

A new proposal called the "faster diagnosis standard" will suggest that patients who have been urgently referred by a GP should have cancer ruled out or receive a diagnosis within 28 days. The current two-week target does not specify when patients should receive test results or have a confirmed diagnosis, so the NHS highlighted the need for a change. In addition, the new NHS proposals will state that patients who receive a cancer diagnosis should start treatment within nine weeks from the date of referral, known as a 62-day referral to treatment standard. The NHS also aims for cancer patients to receive their first treatment within a month of a decision to treat after diagnosis, which is called a 31-day decision to treatment standard.

Last week, NHS England figures revealed that over 6,500 people who started cancer treatment in June 2023 had waited longer than two months since their urgent referral. If the 62-day target had been met, approximately 4,200 additional patients would have begun treatment on time.

Cancer Research UK supports the new proposals, as this year has been the worst on record for cancer care. NHS performance across key monthly targets has deteriorated, and nearly 40,000 cancer patients have experienced potentially deadly delays in treatment. The two-month treatment target has not been met since 2015 and has reached new lows this year. The charity believes that the new proposals will lead to faster diagnosis and treatment.

However, oncologist Professor Pat Price, co-founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign, expressed concern over the potential new targets. Professor Price described the news as "ominous and deeply worrying," and criticized the focus on targets instead of investing more in cancer treatment capacity. Some experts have criticized the Government's decision to no longer have a dedicated 10-year strategy for cancer in NHS England, calling it "a catastrophic decision that will cost lives."

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the UK and poses a significant healthcare burden. The NHS in England has numerous radiation therapy centers, prostate cancer surgery centers, bowel cancer centers, and chemotherapy units. However, experts believe that a coordinated plan is needed to ensure the best possible treatment for patients.

Over the past 10 years, the number of people with cancer waiting too long to start treatment in England has grown almost five times faster than the total number of people being treated. It will take more than just changing the wording of cancer targets to reverse this concerning trend.

FutureCar Staff