More than a third of cancer patients in England are facing potentially deadly delays, leading doctors have said, with thousands of people forced to wait months to begin treatment.
There has also been a significant surge in people experiencing long waits in A&E, though the overall NHS waiting list continues to fall, according to the latest performance data for England.
An estimated total 7.6m health treatments were waiting to be carried out in England at the end of December, relating to 6.37 million patients, down slightly from 7.61m treatments and 6.39 million patients at the end of November.
Doctors raised concerns that cancer targets across the NHS were still being missed, even when somebody has been diagnosed with the disease, with one vital target now not hit for eight years.
The proportion of patients waiting less than 62 days in December from an urgent suspected cancer referral or consultant upgrade to their first definitive treatment for cancer was 65.9%, up slightly from 65.2% in November. The target is 85% and was last met in December 2015.
The figures emerged in the same week King Charles began treatment for cancer within days of being diagnosed. Buckingham Palace has not specified whether the king is receiving private healthcare or being treated on the NHS.
While he is already receiving expert care, his treatment has drawn further attention to the long waiting times in the NHS.
Prof Pat Price, a leading NHS oncologist, said: “The king has demonstrated transparency, leadership and courage in his reaction to his diagnosis. And the increased profile he has given cancer is a timely reminder that the disease will touch every family across the land, as one in two of us will be diagnosed.
“In light of the continuing dire state of cancer performance in our country, confirmed again by these figures, we are urging the government to show similar qualities and adopt a new ‘get it done’ approach. It simply doesn’t have to be this way.”
Price, a co-founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign, added: “Today’s NHS data shows that more than a third of cancer patients face potentially deadly delays. In December, 7,661 cancer patients waited more than the maximum recommended 62 days to start their cancer treatment, with 2,227 waiting three months or more.
“These delays are now baked in with no signs of improving over the last few years. Over 225,000 patients have now had their treatment delayed over the last three years. If ever there was a time for a serious new priority on cancer, backed by radical action, it must be now.”
The figures showed a total of 74.2% of patients who were urgently referred for suspected cancer in December 2023 were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days, up from 71.9% the previous month. The target is 75%.
Delyth Morgan, the chief executive of the Breast Cancer Now charity, said she was deeply concerned. She said too many patients were experiencing lengthy and anxious waits to have symptoms checked, receive a diagnosis and start vital treatment that could give them the best chance of survival.
Lady Morgan said: “Urgent action must be taken. This must include investment in diagnostic staff, publishing more transparent data on cancer waiting times, and cancer services being supported to deliver care.”
Meanwhile, the data showed hospitals remained under pressure. The number of people waiting more than 12 hours in A&E from a decision to admit them to actually being admitted hit 54,308 in January, up sharply from 44,045 in December. This is the second highest figure on record.
The figures also revealed some NHS waits for planned treatment are getting worse. In England, 13,164 people had been waiting more than 18 months to start routine hospital treatment at the end of December, up from 11,168 at the end of November.
The government and NHS England set the ambition of eliminating all waits of more than 18 months by April 2023, excluding exceptionally complex cases or patients who choose to wait longer.
The Department of Health and Social Care said reducing waiting lists remained one of the government’s top-five priorities. A spokesperson said: “We’re determined to continue improving patient care, having already delivered on our promise to create 5,000 extra permanent hospital beds and 10,000 hospital at home beds, freeing up capacity and cutting waiting times.”
Prof Sir Stephen Powis, NHS England’s medical director, said the fall in the overall NHS waiting list was a testament to the hard work of health workers but pointed out that winter pressures continued to “hit the NHS hard”.
He said: “As ever, I would encourage the public to use services in the usual way by using NHS 111 to get advice on the best service for their condition, and by calling 999 in life-threatening emergencies.”
• The alternative manifesto: Securing the future of the NHS
On Tuesday 27 February, 8pm-9.15pm GMT, join Denis Campbell, Narda Ahmed, Siva Anandaciva and Greg Fell as they discuss what an alternative manifesto for health and social care could look like. Book tickets here or at theguardian.live
