Today’s results show some improvement in cancer waiting times in October, but it’s not enough

Responding to the latest NHS England Cancer Waiting Times figures, Mairaid McMahon, Policy Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

“Although today’s results show some improvement in cancer waiting times in October, it’s not enough, as there are still thousands of people waiting too long to be diagnosed and start treatment.

“Last week the Prime Minister outlined his commitment to meet the target for NHS waiting lists for routine operations and appointments in England. We want to work with the government to deliver the same commitment and approach to cancer waiting lists. With further anticipated pressures on the NHS this winter, we must ensure October’s progress continues. Let’s remember, behind the figures are real people who will spend Christmas worrying about whether they might have cancer or when their treatment is going to start, and what 2025 will bring for them and their loved ones.”

Macmillan is here to support everyone affected by cancer. Our Support Line is open 7 days a week from 8am to 8pm or you can visit our website at www.macmillan.org.uk.

• Performance against all three national cancer waiting times targets in England improved in October 2024 compared with the previous month, however two of the three targets were still missed, showing NHS cancer services in England remain under intense pressure[1]
• While there were promising signs of year-on-year improvements in October and a record number of people with cancer were treated on time, there were still more than 9,000 people who waited more than 62 days to start treatment following a referral for suspected cancer[2]
• Separate official NHS data shows the number of people in England with a confirmed diagnosis of cancer and decision to treat who were still waiting to start treatment more than two months after their urgent referral remained above 3,300 throughout October[3]
• Previous Macmillan analysis shows 2023 was the worst year on record for cancer treatment delays in England[4], and that UK cancer survival rates are up to 25 years behind other European countries[5]
• Other recent figures from Macmillan Cancer Support show that two in three people having cancer treatment in the UK (66%) are worried about general pressures on the NHS affecting their chances of survival [6]
• Previous Macmillan analysis also shows that over the past 10 years, the number of people with cancer waiting longer than a month to start treatment in England has increased at a rate 5 times greater than the total number of people starting treatment[7]

[1] NHS England. Cancer waiting times. CWT-CRS-National-Time-Series-Oct-2009-Oct-2024-with-Revisions.xlsx Two out of the three national targets were missed in October 2024. The performance against the 28-day target was 77.1% (target: 75%), the 31-day target was 91.5% (target: 96%) and the 62-day target was 68.2% (target: 85%). Performance against all three targets in September 2024 for comparison was: 28-day target: 74.8%; 31-day target: 90.6%; 62-day target: 67.3%.

[2] As per ref 1. Performance against all three targets in October 2023 was: 28-day target: 70.9%; 31-day target: 89.5%; 62-day target: 63.2%. In October 2024, there were 54,627 times when people had their treatment within 31 days of the decision to treat or earliest clinically appropriate date, which is the highest on record for the new version of the 31-day target. However, there were 9,140 people who waited more than 62 days to start treatment following their first referral for suspected cancer (urgent suspected cancer or breast symptomatic referral, or urgent screening referral, or consultant upgrade to a first definitive treatment for cancer)

[3] NHS England. Management information on cancer.

[4] Macmillan Cancer Support analysis of official statistics. Source: NHS England. Cancer waiting times. Based on a combination of analysis of from the following sources: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/ and https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/#cwt-statistics-up-to-september-2023. In 2023, over 30,000 people newly diagnosed with cancer in England waited more than a month to start treatment following the clinical decision to do so, the highest annual figure since current records began in 2009. Performance against the 31-day treatment target was worse in every month of 2023 than in the same month of 2022, and overall annual performance has fallen each successive year from 2017 onwards

[5] Macmillan Cancer Support. UK cancer care ‘stuck in the noughties’. June 2024

[6] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2,078 adults in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th and 30th June 2024, including 215 people going through treatment. 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’

[7] As per ref 6. Refers to people starting their first treatment for a new cancer diagnosis only. The monthly average for the number of people who waited more than a month to start treatment following the clinical decision to do so has increased by 7.23 times when comparing 2023 with 2013 (2,628 people per month on average compared with 364 people per month on average). In comparison, the monthly average for the total number of people starting treatment has increased between the same time periods by 1.36 times (28,371 compared with 20,877, respectively). 7.23 divided by 1.36 = 5.3.