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Cancer Waiting Times
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Cancer Waiting Times Statistics

Cancer Waiting Times: England

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Archive Data

Quarter 3 2008/2009


This web-site provides information on the waiting times of patients with suspected cancer and those subsequently diagnosed with cancer at NHS Trusts in England.

The Cancer Plan states that the government believes the ultimate goal should be to "offer patients a maximum one month wait from an urgent referral for suspected cancer to the beginning of treatment. Where patients wait longer, this should be because of the needs of the diagnostic process or their personal choice, not because of in-built delays in the system of care." "we hope to acheive this goal by 2008"

The collection of this data enables the Department of Health to regularly monitor progress against the NHS Cancer Plan.
 
The Trusts listed in the progress reports include all those who we expect to treat some cancer patients in a year. Some specialist trusts treat very few cancer patients, and will not necessarily report patients treated in every quarter.

For further information on this data e- mail cancer-waits@dh.gsi.gov.uk

Starting from 1 January 2009, we will change the basis for reporting waiting times data. We will widen the scope to cover the new standards that come into force on 1 January 2009 (as set out in last year’s Cancer Reform Strategy), and we will make collection simpler by not using clock pauses. This will bring cancer waiting times data in line with practice under the 18 weeks programme. The first set of data reported on this new basis and covering the extended waiting times standards will be published in the spring.

We have estimated the impact of the change in methodology on reported performance for the main standards (all cancers) using Q3 for comparison, ahead of the first set of data under the new methodology to be reported for Q4. This analysis is available at the following link: Q3 2008/09 Impact Estimate

From Q2 2005-2006 onwards there has been a change in the way the referral to treatment figures are calculated at Trust level. Where two NHS organisations (Cancer Unit and Cancer Centre) are involved in the care of the patient this is taken into account by recording half the activity against the unit that initially sees the patient and half against the centre that provides the first definitive treatment. In the past all the activity was recorded against the centre that provided the first definitive treatment.

This change means that figures for Trusts on referral to treatment in Q2 2005-06 are not comparable with Q3 2005-06 figures. However the National figures are still comparable.

Cancer Waiting Times - Monitoring the 'Two week' target wait from urgent GP referral to first outpatient appointment for all patients with suspected cancer.
 
Data can be viewed in a number of different ways:
 
or by Cancer Site :