Rise in cancer patients waiting longer than two months for treatment at Peterborough health trust

NHS data shows that at the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, just 69 per cent of cancer patients started treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral in 2019/20.

That was down from 79 per cent in 2018/19.

It means 506 patients waited longer than two months and the trust fell comfortably below the 85 per cent target introduced a decade ago.

Nationally, just 77 per cent of patients in England received cancer treatment within two months of an urgent referral in 2019/20 – the lowest rate on record.

Dr Suzanne Hamilton, deputy medical director for the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Performance against the 62 day cancer standard has been challenging as has been the case for many other trusts across the country.

“We have implemented a number of measures to address this and to speed up the process, for example:

. Patients referred with suspected lower gastrointestinal cancer are now triaged straight to colonoscopy where appropriate

. Introduction of the Fast Track Prostate Service where patients are able to have an appointment, MRI scan and biopsy within a week

. Adding additional diagnostic capacity including outsourcing to external providers.

“At the peak of the pandemic the trust saw a reduction in suspected cancer referrals of over 70 per cent across all cancer types, which is concerning and we would urge patients not to ignore important symptoms and to contact their GP.

“We have been working closely with our GP colleagues to increase awareness and we are now seeing a steady increase in the numbers of suspected cancer referrals.”

The number of people across England who had their first hospital consultation following an urgent GP referral – known as a “two-week wait” referral – fell to 181,873 in March, down from 188,740 in the previous month.

Macmillan’s head of policy and influence, Sara Bainbridge, said this indicated fewer people were seeking help from their GP due to fears about catching Covid-19.

“We are concerned that disrupted services mean fewer people will be embarking on treatment at this time for a variety of reasons,” she added.

“People will be waiting longer for treatment in the future. There are likely to be issues around meeting the 85 per cent standard time.”

An NHS spokeswoman said almost 30,000 people with cancer had their first treatment in March.

“The vast majority were treated within one month of the decision to treat,” she said.

“NHS staff have made huge efforts to ensure that patients can continue to have cancer surgery throughout the pandemic and people must continue to come forward for checks if they have a worrying symptom.”