More than two-thirds of NHS cancer targets will be scrapped by autumn, the Government has confirmed.
The new guidelines will move away from the “outdated” two-week wait target, the Government said, which will be replaced with the Faster Diagnosis Standard.
Currently, anyone who is referred urgently by their GP with suspected cancer must be seen by a specialist within 14 days.
The Faster Diagnosis Standard was initially introduced in April 2021 and aims to diagnose 75 per cent of people with cancer, while also cutting the time between referral and diagnosis.
Ministers claimed the changes would help doctors to diagnose and treat cancer faster, and that GPs “will still refer people with suspected cancer in the same way”, but more focus will be placed on diagnosing or ruling cancer out.
The latest NHS figures show that cancer wait times remain well below targets set by the Government and the NHS.
Of the 261,006 patients, 80.5 per cent saw a specialist within two weeks, down from 80.8 per cent in May but below the target of 93 per cent, which was last met in May 2020.
A total of 59.2 per cent who had their first treatment in June following an urgent GP referral had waited less than two months, up slightly from 58.7 per cent in May but below the target of 85 per cent.
The 10 current targets will be consolidated into the following:
– The 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard, under which patients with suspected cancer urgently referred by a GP, screening programme or other route should be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within four weeks.
– The 62-day referral to treatment to ensure patients who have been referred and diagnosed with cancer should start treatment within that timeframe.
– The 31-day decision to treat – patients with a cancer diagnosis, and who have had a decision made on their first or subsequent treatment, should start it within 31 days.
Health leaders welcomed the changes but said the ambitions must be matched with increased resources.
Danny Mortimer, deputy chief executive of NHS Confederation, said the focus on rapid diagnostics would “give patients more certainty faster” and “reduce the time they spend anxiously waiting for results”.
“Under the current two-week standard, a person could get the required referral to a specialist in 14 days but might still spend several more weeks going to different appointments and tests, so a clearer timescale for diagnosis is sensible.
“Trusts are already doing everything in their power to get cancer waits down and are now seeing the highest recorded levels of referrals and treatment for cancer, but despite this the bigger picture is one of a health service struggling due to capacity issues, with cancer treatment rates still some way from the operational standard.
“So while a greater clarity of focus will be welcomed by health leaders, changing the targets alone will not be enough to see improvement; delivery against these new targets will require the health service to have the appropriate resources and infrastructure.”
Oncologist Professor Pat Price, co-founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign and chairwoman of charity Radiotherapy UK, said that, while “simplification is welcome”, targets should be higher.
“The Faster Diagnosis Standard is set at only 75 per cent. This needs to be much higher, at around 95 per cent, if we are to get patients through the cancer pathway on time,” she said.
“While great for reassuring patients without cancer, this may not help patients with cancer start their treatment in time.”
Prof Price also warned the announcement could be “adding to a false narrative” that steps are being taken to tackle “the current disastrous cancer performance”.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, national NHS medical director, said: “The NHS is already catching more cancers at an earlier stage, when they are easier to treat, than ever before and the Faster Diagnosis Standard will allow us to build on this excellent progress.
“The updated ambitions will mean the NHS can be even more focused on outcomes for patients, rather than just appointment times, and it’s yet another of example of the NHS bringing cancer care into the modern era of care.”
