Record High Waiting Lists Put Cancer Patient Lives At Risk

In early January 2022 there were nearly six million people in England waiting for routine operations and treatment: a record high. As health trusts are struggling to cope, the Health and Social Care Select Committee described the backlog as an 'unquantifiable challenge'.

Included in the six million are around half a million people with a suspected cancer diagnosis.

The NHS has national targets across the board relating to the timeframe within which patients receive care.

NHS England Targets

In cases of suspected cancer, the first benchmark target is for GPs to refer their patients to a specialist consultant within 1 working day.

That specialist consultation should then take place within 2 weeks, known as the "2WW" (2 week wait) referral.