Nearly 10,000 cancer patients in England will not receive timely treatment because the government is set to miss its clinical targets due to leadership and resource failures, The Guardian reported.
With just over 100 days remaining before the deadline, only 70.7% of patients started treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral or consultant upgrade during September. That figure dropped from 71.9% in August, according to official NHS figures cited by AOL.co.uk.
To meet the 80% interim target by March 2027, the health service needs to treat an additional 2,850 patients on time each month. Calculations by the charity Radiotherapy UK show that roughly 24,400 patients monthly must start treatment on time, compared to the current average of 21,500.
“The government is going to miss its cancer treatment target because the NHS does not have enough staff or equipment to treat the number of patients coming through its doors,” said Pat Price, chair of Radiotherapy UK and a leading oncologist. “This lack of leadership means thousands more people could die because they don’t get their treatment on time.”
Tumor types and regions show varying treatment performance
Performance varies sharply across different tumor types and geographic regions in England. Data shows that while 70.1% of prostate cancer patients and 68.8% of breast cancer patients were treated within two months, other groups faced much longer waits, according to UA.NEWS. Only 60.9% of lung cancer patients and 60% of gynaecological cancer patients received timely care, while head and neck cancer treatment met the target in just 56.5% of cases.
Regional gaps are equally stark. The Midlands recorded the lowest timely treatment proportion at 66.6%, contrasting with 77.3% in London.
“The whole system is being held together by goodwill glue alone,” said Mark Lawler, a professor of digital health and chair in translational cancer genomics at Queen’s University Belfast. “Unless there is accountability for these failures by the NHS, a radical change in mindset and a focus on the basics, we will miss hitting treatment targets for another decade.”
Diagnostic performance misses targets as demand rises
Parallel analysis from Cancer Research UK reveals that barely half, or 55.4%, of cancer patients were diagnosed within 28 days of an urgent referral over the past year. That performance falls well short of the 80% faster diagnostic standard target, though 79.1% of patients receiving an all-clear were processed on time.
Naser Turabi, Cancer Research UK’s director of health policy and evidence, said that hospital capacity cannot keep pace with surging demand. Urgent referrals have climbed by roughly 20% over the past four years alone.
“Perversely, NHS hiring freezes for these doctors have doubled in the last year, making it even harder to keep patients safe,” said Stephen Harden, president of the Royal College of Radiologists. “Technology and new ways of working can relieve pressure to an extent, but fundamentally, rising demand for cancer care has outpaced workforce capacity.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said that cancer waiting times are moving in the direction of improvement, with all three cancer standards performing better than a year prior. The department added that a national cancer plan will help more people secure earlier diagnoses and faster treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions About NHS Cancer Targets
What is the official NHS interim target for cancer treatment?
The health service aimed to treat 80% of cancer patients within 62 days of an urgent referral or consultant upgrade by March 2027.
How large is the current patient shortfall?
Radiotherapy UK calculated a monthly shortfall of 2,850 patients and a cumulative shortfall of 9,490 patients based on recent performance data.
Which cancer types face the longest delays?
Head and neck cancers experienced the lowest compliance rate at 56.5%, followed closely by gynaecological cancers at 60% and lung cancer at 60.9%.
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