The progress in cancer waiting times in Wales is still woefully inadequate

Responding to the latest NHS Wales Cancer Waiting Times figures, Kate Seymour, Head of External Affairs at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

“The latest data shows the progress in cancer waiting times in Wales is still woefully inadequate, with the recent Audit Wales report blaming a lack of strong national leadership. We must not forget that behind these figures are real people facing often agonising delays and worrying about whether they have cancer or when their treatment is going to start.

“We urgently need the Welsh government to make a commitment to implement the Cancer Improvement Plan and be clear on how the new National Cancer Leadership Board will tackle the completely unacceptable delays in Wales’s cancer services. People in Wales with cancer need and deserve better.”

Notes to editor

• Macmillan’s recent analysis has revealed the number of people living with cancer in the UK has surged to almost 3.5 million, the highest figure ever reported for the UK and including around 190,000 people in Wales[i].
• If you or someone you love is affected by cancer, we’re here, whatever you need to ask. Call Macmillan’s free support line on 0808 808 00 00, open every day 8am to 8pm or visit our website at www.macmillan.org.uk.

• Macmillan’s analysis of today’s official NHS data shows that performance against the national cancer waiting times target in Wales improved slightly in November, however the target was still missed by a substantial margin and more than 700 people waited too long to start treatment[ii]
• With 2024 on track to show the national target for cancer waiting times performance will be missed once again in Wales, the NHS continues to struggle under enormous pressure[iii]
• The data shows that between January and November 2024, more than 8,800 people with cancer in Wales waited more than two months to start treatment following an urgent referral[iv]
• In November alone, more than 700 people with cancer in Wales waited more than 62 days to start treatment from first being suspected of having cancer — this was two in five (40%) of all those who started treatment in that month[v]
• Other data from Macmillan shows that concerns about long waits and delays are at their highest level yet among people with cancer in the UK. Two in three people having cancer treatment in the UK (66%) in June last year were worried about general pressures on the NHS affecting their chances of survival[vi], the highest level since Macmillan started tracking this issue in November 2022, and an increase from 59% in January last year during peak winter pressures for the NHS[vii]
• The national cancer waiting times target in Wales has never been met since first being introduced, and an interim recovery target set by the Welsh Government has also been missed[viii]
• For some cancer types, performance remains particularly concerning. For example, in November 2024 only 37% of people with urological cancer, 43% of people with head and neck cancer and 43% of people with lower gastrointestinal [RB1] cancer started their treatment within 62 days from first being suspected of having cancer[ix]
• Previous Macmillan analysis shows that survival rates for at least two common types of cancer in Wales (colon and rectal cancer in women) are only just now reaching the levels that Sweden and Norway were already achieving in the early 2000s[x]
• Macmillan’s other recent figures also show 70% of people with cancer in the UK are calling for the NHS to reduce long waiting times as a priority — the highest figure since Macmillan started tracking this in March 2023[xi]

[i] Macmillan Cancer Support. Number of people with cancer in the UK reaches record high of almost 3.5 million. January 2025

[ii] Figures based on Suspected Cancer Pathways data from StatsWales, accessed 23rd January 2025. In November 2024, 60.2% of people with cancer in Wales (1,081 out of 1,796) started their first definitive treatment within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer (target: 75%). The November 2024 figure was 2 percentage points higher than in October 2024, however there were still 715 people in Wales left waiting too long to start their treatment for cancer in November 2024. In total from January to November 2024, 8,895 people with cancer have waited more than 62 days to start treatment

[iii] As per ref 2. Average monthly performance against the national cancer waiting times target in Wales so far in 2024 is 56.8%

[iv] As per ref 2

[v] As per ref 2

[vi] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2,078 adults in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis, including 215 people going through treatment. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th and 30th June 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of people living with cancer in the UK (aged 18+). Survey question was as follows: How worried, if at all, are you about the following? ‘General pressures on the NHS affecting my chances of survival’

[vii] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2,099 adults in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis, including 213 people going through treatment. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd and 22nd January 2024. All other details as per ref 6

[viii] At least 75% of patients should start treatment within 62 days (without suspensions) of first being suspected of cancer. Data published for time periods before December 2020 are not subject to the target. The Welsh Government’s planned care recovery plan established a new target of 80%, to be reached by 2026. Those targets have never been met, and an interim recovery target that cancer diagnosis and treatment would be undertaken within 62 days for 70% of people by March 2023 was also missed.

[ix] As per ref 2

[x] See this press release for full analysis and sources: Macmillan Cancer Support. UK cancer care ‘stuck in the noughties’. June 2024 (accessed June 2024)

[xi] As per ref 6. Question wording was as follows: After early diagnosis and access to treatment… What areas do you think should be prioritised by the NHS in the next year to ensure cancer services meet the needs of patients? (Please select a maximum of three). 70% of all respondents selected ‘Reduce long waiting times for cancer care (e.g. referral to specialist, diagnosis, treatment)’ compared with 61% in a previous Macmillan/YouGov survey carried out in March 2023.