World
NHS England set to fall short of key cancer treatment target by nearly 10,000 patients
Experts warn that NHS England will miss its March 2027 goal to treat 80% of cancer patients within 62 days, leaving thousands without timely care due to a lack of staff, equipment, and leadership.
NHS figures show that 70.7% of cancer patients started treatment on time in September, down from 71.9% in August. Analysis indicates that the NHS would need to treat an additional 2,850 patients on time each month to hit the interim target of 80% by March 2027, resulting in a cumulative shortfall of nearly 10,000 patients. Experts attribute the ongoing delays to severe shortages in hospital capacity, staff, and equipment, alongside systemic failures in leadership and focus. Regional disparities and differences across cancer types were also highlighted, with conditions like lung, gynaecological, head, and neck cancers seeing significantly lower on-time treatment rates compared to others.
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