A record number of people in England are waiting longer than ever for cancer treatment, as the total waiting more than three months surpassed 12,000 for the first time.
More than 4% of the 287,000 people on cancer waiting lists had waited more than 104 days to receive treatment after diagnosis, despite 2,000 of those being considered urgent patients, according to NHS England figures for the week ending on 1 January, seen by Health Service Journal.
Michelle Mitchell, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, said that missing waiting time targets–which have not been fully met since December 2015–was “unacceptable when a matter of weeks can be enough for some cancers to progress”. She called on the government to publish an “ambitious and fully funded” 10-year cancer plan. “Only then will we see significant improvements in early diagnosis and survival,” she said.
Source: The Guardian
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