Cancer: Waiting Lists
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of revised cancer waiting time standards on patient outcomes.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
The Department and NHS England regularly review performance against cancer waiting time standards to ensure that patients are diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible.
NHS England publishes monthly data on the three cancer waiting time standards, which can be broken down to provider level and which is available at the following link:
https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times.
As set out in the Government’s plan for reforming elective care, improving cancer waiting times remains a key national priority. The NHS 2025/26 Operational Planning Guidance includes commitments to improve performance against the 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard to 80%, and the 62-day referral-to-treatment standard to 75% by March 2026.
These standards are designed to drive earlier diagnosis and faster access to treatment, which are directly linked to improved patient outcomes. By March 2026, it is expected that approximately 100,000 more people each year will be told whether they have cancer within 28 days, and 17,000 more people will begin treatment within two months of a referral.
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