Nearly one in four cancer patients does not start …

Nearly one in four cancer patients does not start treatment on time – the worst performance ever recorded, show the numbers.

New data from NHS England shows that the health service has missed its main cancer control target for more than 1,000 days, while A & E performance is also at its lowest level.

Hospitals are expected to start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral from a GP, the goal being that 85% of patients must begin treatment within that time frame.

But the January figures show the worst performance ever recorded, with only 76.2% of cancer patients treated on time.

The last time the goal was reached was in December 2015.

The findings come as the Royal College of Surgeons warned that hospitals continue to struggle to reduce long waiting lists for planned treatment.

Nearly one in four cancer patients is waiting too long to start treatment, according to the numbers (David Jones / PA)

Some 227,569 patients wait more than six months of treatment and another 36,857 wait more than nine months, according to the figures.

The College said that it 's been an increase of 31% and 39% respectively over the same period last year.

In January, 86.7% of patients were seen within 18 weeks against a target of 92%.

The number of people waiting for treatment is at its highest level since October, with 4.16 million people in January waiting for treatment.

The NHS England is currently reviewing the goals of the NHS and could remove the 18-week goal and the four-hour A & E goal.

A & E data released today show that only 84.2% of patients in February were seen in four hours, the lowest proportion ever recorded.

The four-hour goal has not been reached since July 2015 and some experts say it's unlikely the NHS could reach it again.

Professor Derek Alderson, president of the Royal College of Surgeons, said about waiting lists for planned treatment: "The backlog of patients waiting for treatment continues to grow.

"There are now more than 100,000 more patients waiting more than 18 weeks to start treatment compared to the same period last year.

"We support NHS England's plans to test new targets and measures to improve care, but changing them will not solve the underlying problems that our health services face.

"We hope that the worst winter will be behind us and it is urgent to put in place a plan to address the growing backlog of patients on the waiting list of planned care. We will work with NHS England to solve it.

"Part of this plan must be a commitment to increase capacity in hospital beds."

Professor John Appleby, Chief Economist of the Nuffield Trust, said: "Today's numbers represent the worst performance compared to the four-hour goal for A & E since the beginning records and the number of patients waiting on carts is above the levels recorded during the "Beast of the East". storm last February.

"In January, nearly a quarter of cancer patients had waited more than two months before starting treatment, following a request for urgent consultation with a general practitioner, which represents a spike. marked compared to previous months.

"These measurements show the weight of the pressure that NHS staff face daily and will worry patients at a very difficult time.

"We are in favor of trying to radically recast the A & E goals announced by the NHS England because there is a risk that current goals will lead to poor behavior.

"But it will be difficult for managers to implement and for the public to trust that this does not mean simply lowering the bar, as queues continue to fall through the trap of A & E. in short, it is difficult to stop the direction of the ship in stormy waters. "

Fran Woodard, executive director of policy and impact at Macmillan Cancer Support, said, "January 2019, five years have pbaded since the 62-day cancer control goal was missed for the first time. let wait too long to start a vital treatment throughout this period. "

An NHS spokesman said, "More people than ever are coming in for cancer screening, with a quarter of a million more people being screened for cancer this year and thousands more processed within two months.

"NHS England is investing an additional £ 10 million this year to treat additional people, and its long-term plan sets out a series of ambitious measures to contract more cancers earlier, which will save thousands of lives each year."

She added that nearly a quarter of a million more people had been seen and treated in the space of four hours at A & E this winter compared to last year.