Cancer patients at East Grinstead’s Queen Victoria Hospital seen within NHS target time

Macmillan Cancer Support said the latest statistics reveal the enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on cancer services across the country.

NHS data shows that 87.5 per cent of cancer patients in Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust started treatment within 62 days of an urgent GP referral in February.

That was up from 85.3 per cent in January.

It means five patients had waited longer than two months in February, with the trust exceeding the 85 per cent target introduced over a decade ago.

Across England, just 69.7 per cent of patients received cancer treatment within two months of an urgent referral in February – the worst performance on record.

It means the NHS target has now not been met for nearly three years.

And while there were slightly more referrals for urgent cancer investigations in February compared to the previous month, Macmillan said the number of people starting treatment ‘remains lower than it would expect’.

Sara Bainbridge, the charity’s head of policy, said: “This data further illustrates the catastrophic impact of Covid-19 on cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“It’s vital that cancer services continue to be prioritised and that those with cancer are not forgotten.

“To address the extensive challenges that lie ahead, the NHS urgently needs a long-term, fully funded plan for its workforce, ensuring there are more dedicated staff who are able to provide the best care for cancer patients, now and in the future.”

Health workers have faced enormous pressures throughout the pandemic, which has pushed up hospital waiting times.

A group of MPs, charities and Royal Colleges are calling on the Government to provide urgent funding for cancer services to tackle the Covid-19 induced backlog and “save thousands of lives.”

A declaration, signed by doctors and organisations including Cancer Research UK and the Institute of Cancer Policy, says: “We further urge the Government to recognise that to catch up with the cancer backlog, NHS services need the tools to ‘super-boost’ capacity above pre-pandemic levels.”

“This means revisiting aspects of the Budget and Spending Review to ring-fence urgent cancer investment.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said the government is committed to providing high quality cancer care, with cancer diagnosis and treatment remaining ‘a top priority’ throughout the pandemic.

“More than 2.5 million urgent referrals were made within waiting time targets in the past year alone and for every coronavirus patient, two cancer patients received treatment,” they added.