NHS England sets interim target to treat 80% of cancer patients within 62 days by March 2027
NHS England has set an interim target of treating 80% of cancer patients within 62 days of an urgent referral or a consultant upgrade, to be met by March 2027. According to The Guardian, the figures so far fall well short of that level.
The 62-day measure tracks how long it takes for a patient to start treatment after an urgent referral from a family doctor or other clinician, or after a consultant, a senior hospital doctor, upgrades a referral to urgent. In September, 70.7% of cancer patients in England started treatment within that window, down from 71.9% in August.
Performance varies by type of cancer. Prostate cancer patients were treated within 62 days at a rate of 70.1%, and breast cancer patients at 68.8%. For lung cancer the figure was 60.9%, for gynaecological cancers 60%, and for head and neck cancers 56.5%.
Regionally, the Midlands had the lowest share, at 66.6%, while London was highest at 77.3%.
The Guardian reports that the NHS is currently treating about 21,500 cancer patients a month within the 62-day target, leaving a monthly shortfall of 2,850 patients. Based on that gap, the NHS would need to treat 2,850 additional patients on time each month to get back on track, assuming patient numbers stay consistent. Radiotherapy UK, a radiotherapy body, calculated that 24,400 patients a month would need to start treatment on time to hit the 80% target in March. Its analysis also found a cumulative shortfall of 9,490 patients toward the target.
Diagnosis is measured separately. Over the last year, 55.4% of patients with cancer were diagnosed within 28 days of an urgent referral, against a target of 80%. Of patients who received the all-clear, meaning they were told they did not have cancer, 79.1% did so within 28 days of an urgent referral.
Demand is rising. Urgent cancer referrals in England are up about 20% over the past four years, according to the Guardian's reporting of the figures.
Monthly cancer waiting times data from NHS England is published first as provisional figures, which are later finalised under the organisation's revisions policy.
