The NHS Cancer Plan contained the target that from the end of 2005 all cancer patients would wait a maximum of two months (62 days) from urgent general practitioner referral to first cancer treatment. Not all cancer patients are referred urgently by their general practitioner (GP), so the NHS Cancer Plan also contained the target that all cancer patients would be treated a maximum of one month (31 days) from diagnosis of cancer. The number of patients treated against these targets is shown in the following table.
Quarter Total number of patients referred for urgent cancer treatment within 62 days by their GP Total number treated within of cancer of patients to be 31 days of diagnosis 2004-05 4 9,114 37,122 2005-06 1 11,021 42,576 2 12,908 45,532 3 14,371 47,872 4 16,755 49,746 2006-07 1 17,884 50,167 2 19,147 51,582 3 19,605 51,268
Further information on cancer waiting times performance is published at:
www.performance.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits.