Progress in cancer waiting times in Wales is still woefully inadequate – Macmillan’s response to latest CWT figures

“The latest data shows the progress in cancer waiting times in Wales is still woefully inadequate, with the recent Audit Wales report blaming a lack of strong national leadership. We must not forget that behind these figures are real people facing often agonising delays and worrying about whether they have cancer or when their treatment is going to start.

“We urgently need the Welsh government to make a commitment to implement the Cancer Improvement Plan and be clear on how the new National Cancer Leadership Board will tackle the completely unacceptable delays in Wales’s cancer services. People in Wales with cancer need and deserve better.”

Notes

Macmillan’s recent analysis has revealed the number of people living with cancer in the UK has surged to almost 3.5 million, the highest figure ever reported for the UK and including around 190,000 people in Wales^[i].
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 November, however the target was still missed by a substantial margin and more than 700 people waited too long to start treatment^[ii]
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^[iii]
The data shows that between January and November 2024, more than 8,800 people with cancer in Wales waited more than two months to start treatment following an urgent referral^[iv]
In November alone, more than 700 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 (40%) of all those who started treatment in that month^[v]

Other data from Macmillan shows that concerns about long waits and delays are at their highest level yet among people with cancer in the UK. Two in three people having cancer treatment in the UK (66%) in June last year were worried about general pressures on the NHS affecting their chances of survival^{^[vi]}, the highest level since Macmillan started tracking this issue in November 2022, and an increase from 59% in January last year during peak winter pressures for the NHS^[vii]
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^[viii]
For some cancer types, performance remains particularly concerning. For example, in November 2024 only 37% of people with urological cancer, 43% of people with head and neck cancer and 43% of people with lower gastrointestinal cancer started their treatment within 62 days from first being suspected of having cancer^[ix]
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^[x]
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 2023^[xi]