'My cancer spread while I waited months for surgery': The cost of England's cancer wait times

This was to reach 85% by March 2029.But in the months since the government announced this ambition, performance has got worse, according to NHS England data, not better.Now, 71.2% of patients start cancer treatment within the 62 day timeframe.

Previously it was 71.9%.Prof Pat Price, a leading UK clinical academic oncologist, says the government targets "are now simply impossible to hit", after what she describes as a "complete loss of momentum".Price attributes the current failures to a "complete lack of a plan or accountability".The plan stated that a new independent cancer board would be established, but it is still not known who will be leading this group.NHS data released….

"I used to play golf and get out and about.

Now I can't do any of the things I love," says Alan.Roughly 54,000 more patients will need to start treatment within 62 days before 2029 for the government to hit its goal.One NHS trust that is gaining traction on its waiting list numbers is Salisbury, but it is still not hitting targets.Staff say there is no single fix, just a relentless focus on getting the basics right; making sure patients….

His histology lab receives cancer service biopsies from across the hospital for diagnosis."The sheer volume of specimens we have coming in is our problem," he says."We need more staff and more kit if we're going to keep up with demand," Phillips says.Radiotherapy is another bottleneck crying out for staff and kit.

Like many trusts, Salisbury has no machine on site, so patients needing daily sessions over one to three weeks must travel up to an hour to Southampton, and sometimes Bath.But staff in Salisbury also say missed appointments, whether down to late letters, illness, transport problems or anxiety, are a constant drain on a system already stretched thin.Emilia Scutt, cancer manager in Salisbury, says that efforts to reduce missed appointments have….

Rising demand, workforce shortages and diagnostic bottlenecks have all played a part.Some pointed to industrial action and staff sickness, others to reliance on outside diagnostic providers or major changes to how their systems work.

All say they are investing in extra capacity, working through backlogs and redesigning pathways, and are already seeing early signs of improvement."If government is serious about delivering on the ambitions of the National Cancer Plan for England, it must match ambition with urgency," said Steve Haines of Macmillan Cancer Support.He said that "visible progress" was needed on a promise to set up a National Cancer Board to oversee progress on….