Progress towards NHS England's cancer treatment targets and reduced diagnostic waiting times remains slow and in some areas stalled, Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) President Dr. Kath Halliday commented on 14 November in an RCR bulletin.
Achieving the headline 62-day waiting time target from referral to treatment remains a distant goal, it seems.
"Performance against the 62-day cancer waiting time has, disappointingly, declined further, with 8,619 patients starting their treatment more than 2 months from their date of referral," Halliday noted. NHS England's target is for 85% of patients to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral and, further, to meet a target of 70% by March 2025. September 2024 numbers showed success for only 67% of patients.
Progress in reducing diagnostic scan wait time showed that in September 2024, 77.3% of patients waited less than six weeks for a diagnostic scan against a target that 99% of patients have a scan within this timeframe.
“We are working against a stark 31% shortfall in clinical radiologists, severely impacting our ability to meet the rising demand for timely diagnostics and treatment," Halliday said. "We urgently need concerted investment in recruiting, training, and retaining the radiology workforce to prevent further delays in diagnosis and care.”
The good news is that NHS England met their Faster Diagnosis Standard whereby 75% of patients receive a diagnosis or have cancer ruled out within 28 days of referral, she added. It seems likely that by March 2025 NHS England will meet its new interim target of 77% and, therefore, should move towards its original 85% target more quickly.
Read the full report here.
