Only half of cancer patients in Wales are being treated quickly enough, the latest figures have shown. Statistics published by the Welsh Government on Thursday show that just 52.9% of patients started their first treatment within 62 days of being suspected of having cancer in December 2022.
It is the second worst month since the Welsh Government's Suspected Cancer Pathway was introduced in August 2019, according to Cancer Research UK, with October 2022 being the worst. The charity has attributed many of the delays to "chronic workforce shortages" and has called for "urgent action".
The latest figures are also well below the Suspected Cancer Pathway performance target, which aims for 75% of patients to start treatment within 62 days of first suspecting cancer. This target has never been met. A spokesperson for the Welsh Government has said it continues to "prioritise the most urgent cases which can mean prioritising many people who have already been waiting over the 62 day cancer target."
