New cancer targets 'will speed up treatment', say local health bosses

The Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance says the changes will 'speed up diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients'.

In a statement released today, NHS England said 10 cancer waiting time targets will be reduced to just three.

"Thousands of people referred for urgent cancer checks every month are set to be diagnosed and treated sooner," it says.

Under the new system, many of the earlier targets will be scrapped - including one which required that patients see a specialist within two weeks of being urgently referred by their GP for suspected cancer.

Instead, there will be a requirement for patients who have been referred to a specialist to receive a diagnosis - or be pronounced clear of cancer - within 28 days of a referral. Previously, there was no time scale for when patients should receive test results or a diagnosis.

Earlier this week, oncologist Professor Pat Price, who is co-founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign, branded news of the potential changes 'ominous and deeply worrying'.

But NHS Engand said today the the new system had been 'developed by clinical experts and supported by leading cancer charities'.

"There will be three cancer standards, which combine all of the previous standards and cover additional patients," it said.

The three key standards are:

• the 28-Day Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS), which means patients with suspected cancer who are referred for urgent cancer checks should be diagnosed or have cancer ruled out within 28 days.
• the 62-day referral to treatment standard, which means patients who receive a diagnosis should start treatment within 62 days of their initial referral
• the 31-day 'decision to treat to treatment standard', which means patients who have a cancer diagnosis, and who have had a decision made on their first or subsequent treatment, should then start that treatment within 31 days.

NHS England says GPs will still refer people with suspected cancer in the same way, but the focus will now on getting people diagnosed or pronounced clear of cancer within 28 days, rather than simply getting a first appointment in two weeks.

Reacting to the changes today, the Humber and North Yorkshire Cancer Alliance said: "Humber and North Yorkshire welcomes the announcement by NHS England that the existing 10 cancer waiting time standards will be consolidated into three key standards from October 1.

"The move will help to speed up diagnosis and treatment for cancer patients as they are more in line with the requirements of modern cancer care and are more focused on outcomes for cancer patients."

Earlier this week, York GP Dr David Fair said there had been a great deal of resistance from the medical profession when the original cancer targets were first brought in some years ago.

The changes may well be being introduced following advice from medics and cancer experts, he said.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, said today: “We are seeing and treating record numbers of patients for cancer, and diagnosing people at an earlier stage than ever before, giving them the best chance of survival.

“But we want to ensure even more patients are being diagnosed and treated as early as possible following referral.

“These modified standards will provide a clear focus for how to achieve this, and ... will mean more patients will benefit from a speedier diagnosis or the all clear within a month."

Dr Emma Kipps, a breast cancer specialist at the Royal Marsden, said: “These changes will better enable a focus on outcomes.

"The old two week wait metric simply measured the proportion of patients who were seen within two weeks of a referral. What patients really want is a standard that ensures they will be seen, investigated, and diagnosed as quickly as possible."

Genevieve Edwards, Chief Executive for Bowel Cancer UK chief executive Genevieve edwards, meanwhile, welcomed the changes today as 'good news for bowel cancer services'.