Macmillan responds to NHSE November 2023 Cancer Waiting Times Data
Responding to NHS England November 2023’s Cancer Waiting Times Data, Kate Seymour, Head of Advocacy (Geographies) at Macmillan Cancer Support says:
“Even though today’s data shows a slight improvement in waiting times, there are still thousands of people in England facing agonising delays for vital cancer diagnosis and treatment and what’s worse, this isn’t a new problem, we’ve been seeing it for years. Every day at Macmillan we hear how these unacceptable delays can cause needless anxiety and even result in a worse prognosis. People’s lives are being put at risk and it’s simply not good enough.
“NHS staff continue to work tirelessly to provide vital care for patients, but with chronic staff shortages, long-standing delays and the height of winter almost upon us, we’re concerned that the worst is yet to come.
“Politicians, what are you waiting for? We need the UK Government to act now and provide greater funding and support for cancer services in England. Cancer patients deserve the best quality care, and by taking cancer seriously, you will save lives.”
Key facts
· While a new record number of people were tested for cancer in November 2023, there were still more than 78,000 people across England who waited more than four weeks to find out if they had cancer or not following an urgent referral[i]
· All three of the new streamlined national targets were missed again in November, showing that NHS cancer services in England are still struggling under intense pressure[ii]
· 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 3,600 throughout November and into the start of December[iii]
· In November 2023, there were more than 5,400 times when people with a confirmed cancer diagnosis waited more than a month to have the treatment they needed. Performance against this target was also worse than in November of the previous year[iv]
· Other figures from Macmillan Cancer Support show that half of people having cancer treatment in the UK (49%) are worried about general pressures on the NHS affecting their chances of survival[v]
· Previous Macmillan analysis showed that 2022 was the worst year on record for performance against cancer waiting times in England
· 2022 was the first year in the 13-year history of previous records in which all of the national targets in England were missed in at least one month[vi]
· Macmillan’s analysis of data for the first half of 2023 shows the number of people with cancer waiting too long to start treatment in England has grown at a rate that is 5 times greater than for the total number of people being treated[vii]
References
[i] NHS England. Cancer waiting times. CWT CRS — National Time Series Oct 2009 — Nov 2023 with Revisions. In November 2023, 78,192 people waited for more than four weeks following an urgent referral for suspected cancer to be told they either had cancer or for cancer to be definitively excluded
[ii] As per ref 1.
[iii] NHS England. Management information on cancer.
[iv] As per ref 1. In November 2023, there were 5,438 occurrences of people with cancer waiting more than a month to have either their first or a subsequent treatment for cancer following the decision to treat/the earliest clinically appropriate date, and performance against this target was 90.1%. In November 2022, the equivalent figures were 4,718 and 91.4%
[v] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2,051 adults in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18th August and 31st August 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of people living with cancer in the UK (aged 18+). Question wording was as follows: How worried, if at all, are you about the following? General pressures on the NHS affecting my chances of survival. Survey included 228 people currently going through cancer treatment
[vi] NHS England. Cancer waiting times. Cancer Waiting Times — National Time Series Oct 2009 — Sep 2023 with Revisions. Refers to the version of the targets that existed from October 2009 to September 2023.
[vii] NHS England. Cancer waiting times. Cancer Waiting Times — National Time Series Oct 2009 — Sep 2023 with Revisions (accessed November 2023). 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 7.27 times for January to June 2023 compared with ten years previously, January to June 2013 (2,568 people per month on average compared with 353 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 1.33 times (27,826 compared with 20,877, respectively). 7.27 divided by 1.33 = 5.5. The equivalent figures comparing the whole of 2022 to ten years previously, 2012, are 2,162 compared with 336 (6.44 times) and 27,421 compared with 21,242 (1.29 times). 6.44 divided by 1.29 = 5.0. All figures accurate as of November 2023.
