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Macmillan Cancer Support – response to latest NHS Wales Cancer Waiting Times figures

Team @ AberdareOnline010 mins

Responding to the latest NHS Wales Cancer Waiting Times figures, Kate Seymour, Head of Advocacy at Macmillan Cancer Support, said: 

“While today’s figures show some signs of improvement, thousands of people have still waited too long to be diagnosed and start cancer treatment in Wales this year. With Christmas approaching we must remember there will be hundreds more people across Wales who may be worrying about whether they have cancer or when their treatment is going to start, and what 2025 will bring for them and their loved ones.

“Despite the additional investment announced in the draft budget, further pressures on the health system this winter are set to make the current, chronic situation worse. The Welsh government must take action now and deliver on their promises to reduce cancer waiting times.”

If you or someone you love is affected by cancer, we’re here, whatever you need to ask. Call Macmillan’s free support line on 0808 808 00 00, open every day 8am to 8pm or visit our website at www.macmillan.org.uk. “

Fact box

  • Macmillan’s analysis of today’s official NHS data shows that performance against the national cancer waiting times target in Wales improved slightly in October, however the target was still missed by a substantial margin and more than 800 people waited too long to start treatment[i]
  • With 2024 on track to show the national target for cancer waiting times performance will be missed once again in Wales, the NHS continues to struggle under enormous pressure[ii]
  • The data shows that between January and October 2024, more than 8,000 people with cancer in Wales waited more than two months to start treatment following an urgent referral[iii]
  • In October alone, more than 860 people with cancer in Wales waited more than 62 days to start treatment from first being suspected of having cancer — this was two in five (42%) of all those who started treatment in that month[iv]

Macmillan’s other recent figures also show 70% of people with cancer in the UK are calling for the NHS to reduce long waiting times as a priority – the highest figure since Macmillan started tracking this in March last year[x]

Other recent data from Macmillan shows that concerns about long waits and delays have hit new highs among people with cancer in the UK. Two in three people having cancer treatment in the UK (66%) are worried about general pressures on the NHS affecting their chances of survival[v], the highest level since Macmillan started tracking this issue in November 2022, and an increase from 59% in January this year during peak winter pressures for the NHS[vi]  

The national cancer waiting times target in Wales has never been met since first being introduced, and an interim recovery target set by the Welsh Government has also been missed[vii]

For some cancer types, performance remains particularly concerning. For example, in October 2024 only one in three patients with gynaecological cancer (34%) and two in five with urological cancer (40%) started their treatment within 62 days from first being suspected of having cancer[viii]

Previous Macmillan analysis shows that survival rates for at least two common types of cancer in Wales (colon and rectal cancer in women) are only just now reaching the levels that Sweden and Norway were already achieving in the early 2000s[ix]

[i] Figures based on Suspected Cancer Pathways data from StatsWales, accessed 19st December 2024. In October 2024, 58% of people with cancer in Wales (1,189 out of 2,051) started their first definitive treatment within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer (target: 75%). The October 2024 figure was 3 percentage points higher than in September 2024, however there were still 862 people in Wales left waiting too long to start their treatment for cancer in October 2024. In total from January to October 2024, more than 8,000 people with cancer have waited more than 62 days to start treatment

[ii] As per ref 1. Average monthly performance against the national cancer waiting times target in Wales so far in 2024 is 56.5%

[iii] As per ref 1

[iv] As per ref 1

[v] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2,078 adults in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis, including 215 people going through treatment. Fieldwork was undertaken between 11th and 30th June 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of people living with cancer in the UK (aged 18+). Survey question was as follows: How worried, if at all, are you about the following? ‘General pressures on the NHS affecting my chances of survival’

[vi] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2,099 adults in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis, including 213 people going through treatment. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd and 22nd January 2024. All other details as per ref 5

[vii] At least 75% of patients should start treatment within 62 days (without suspensions) of first being suspected of cancer. Data published for time periods before December 2020 are not subject to the target. The Welsh Government’s planned care recovery plan established a new target of 80%, to be reached by 2026.  Those targets have never been met, and an interim recovery target that cancer diagnosis and treatment would be undertaken within 62 days for 70% of people by March 2023 was also missed.

[viii] As per ref 1

[ix] See this press release for full analysis and sources: Macmillan Cancer Support. UK cancer care ‘stuck in the noughties’. June 2024 (accessed June 2024)

[x] As per ref 5. Question wording was as follows: After early diagnosis and access to treatment… What areas do you think should be prioritised by the NHS in the next year to ensure cancer services meet the needs of patients? (Please select a maximum of three). 70% of all respondents selected ‘Reduce long waiting times for cancer care (e.g. referral to specialist, diagnosis, treatment)’ compared with 61% in a previous Macmillan/YouGov survey carried out in March

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