More than a third of cancer patients in England are facing potentially fatal delays, leading doctors say, while thousands of people are forced to wait months before they can start treatment.
There has also been a significant increase in the number of people experiencing long waits in A&E, although the overall NHS waiting list continues to fall, according to the latest performance data for England.
At the end of December, there were an estimated total of 7.6 million treatments waiting to be carried out in England, covering 6.37 million patients, slightly lower than the 7.61 million treatments and 6.39 million patients at the end of November.
Doctors raised concerns that cancer targets are still not being met within the NHS, even when someone has been diagnosed with the disease, with one vital target now missing for eight years.
The proportion of patients who waited less than 62 days for an urgent cancer referral or consultant upgrade to their first definitive cancer treatment in December was 65.9%, slightly up from 65.2% in November. The target is 85% and was last achieved in December 2015.
The figures emerged in the same week that King Charles began cancer treatment within days of being diagnosed. Buckingham Palace has not specified whether the king receives private healthcare or is treated by the NHS.
Although he is already receiving expert care, his treatment has further highlighted the long waiting times on the NHS.
Prof Pat Price, a leading NHS oncologist, said: “The King has shown transparency, leadership and courage in his response to his diagnosis. And the increased profile he has given cancer is a timely reminder that the disease will affect every family across the country, as one in two of us will be diagnosed with it.
“In light of the continued poor state of cancer performance in our country, reaffirmed by these figures, we urge the government to demonstrate similar qualities and adopt a new ‘get it done’ approach. It just doesn’t have to be this way.”
Price, co-founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign, added: “Today’s NHS data shows that more than a third of cancer patients face potentially fatal delays. In December, 7,661 cancer patients waited more than the maximum recommended 62 days before starting their cancer treatment, while 2,227 waited three months or more.
“These delays are now ingrained with no signs of improvement in recent years. Treatment has been postponed in more than 225,000 patients over the past three years. If there was ever a time for a serious new cancer priority, backed by radical action, it must be now.”
The figures show that a total of 74.2% of patients urgently referred for suspected cancer in December 2023 were diagnosed with cancer or ruled out within 28 days, compared to 71.9% the month before. The goal is 75%.
Delyth Morgan, the director of the charity Breast Cancer Now, said she was deeply concerned. She said too many patients had to wait long and anxious times before their symptoms were checked, given a diagnosis and vital treatment started that could give them the best chance of survival.
Lady Morgan said: ‘Urgent action is needed. This should include investing in diagnostic staff, publishing more transparent data on cancer waiting times and supporting cancer services to deliver care.”
Meanwhile, data showed hospitals remained under pressure. The number of people who waited more than 12 hours in A&E from a decision to admit them to actual admission was 54,308 in January, a sharp increase from 44,045 in December. This is the second highest figure ever.
The figures also showed that some NHS waits for planned treatment are getting worse. In England, 13,164 people were waiting more than 18 months for routine hospital treatment at the end of December, up from 11,168 at the end of November.
The government and NHS England have set an ambition to eliminate all waiting times longer than 18 months by April 2023, with the exception of exceptionally complex cases or patients who choose to wait longer.
The Department of Health and Social Care said reducing waiting lists remains one of the government’s five top priorities. A spokesperson said: “We are committed to continuing to improve patient care as we have already delivered on our commitment to create an additional 5,000 permanent hospital beds and 10,000 home hospital beds, freeing up capacity and reducing waiting times.”
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, medical director of NHS England, said the fall in the overall NHS waiting list is testament to the hard work of healthcare workers, but pointed out that winter pressures “continue to hit the NHS hard”.
He said: “As always, 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.”