Wait times slashed for 80,000 thanks to boost in cancer detection
Source: gov.uk (2025-04-05)

80,000 patients have received a quicker diagnosis or ruling out of cancer in 28 days between July 2024 and January 2025 compared to the previous year.

- Government’s record £26 billion budget investment into the NHS sees 80,000 more people having cancer diagnosed or ruled out within 28 days
- Bold action to resolve strikes, increase funding into the NHS and get more teams working out of hours has transformed delivery for patients
- Cancer care at the heart of government plans to reform NHS through Plan for Change, with national cancer plan set to be published later this year
80,000 patients across the country have faced shorter waits for life-changing cancer diagnoses as a result of the government’s record investment in our NHS to cut waiting times, latest figures show.

The government’s budget fixed the foundations of the economy to deliver a record £26 billion investment in our NHS to get it back on its feet and make it fit for the future as part of the Plan for Change (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/plan-for-change). This investment, together with putting an end to industrial action, tackling waste and bringing in crucial reforms, is already transforming our NHS.

That includes a new drive to offer more appointments out of hours - which directly contributed to over three-quarters (76.1%) of patients receiving their cancer diagnosis or all clear within 28 days from July 2024 to January 2025, up from 71.8% 12 months earlier.

As one of the biggest killers in the UK, it is vital that cancer patients get quick access to the testing they need. Faster diagnosis is linked to significantly improved cancer outcomes and means more patients can start treatment as quickly as possible.

Today’s figures show a clear improvement in performance, demonstrating how proper investment, along with a plan to put patients first, delivers on the commitments promised by the government to slash waiting lists - putting an end to the misery for many people who have not received the cancer care they require.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said:

This government made tough decisions at the budget that put £26 billion into our NHS - and patients are already seeing the results.

Too many cancer patients are facing agonisingly long waits for diagnosis and treatment. As a survivor, I know first hand just how important it is to receive timely diagnosis so treatment can begin as quickly as possible.

We are on a mission to drive down waiting times and our Plan for Change is already getting patients seen and treated faster, with 80,000 more diagnosed or ruled out with cancer between July and January.

This is just the start and we will continue driving fundamental reform of the NHS to ensure it is delivering for all patients once again.

The government is delivering change working people can feel, with waiting lists cut by 193,000 since July - and alongside this, 2 million extra appointments including for chemotherapy, radiotherapy, endoscopy and diagnostic tests also being delivered 7 months ahead of schedule.

But the government is going further and faster. The recently published elective reform plan (https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/reforming-elective-care-for-patients/) also commits to going even further for patients, through opening more community diagnostic centres, taking the total to over 170 this year across England.

These sites will all be open for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week by March 2026, located in convenient places across the country to ensure patients have greater access to the tests, checks and scans they require. And on top of this, the government is also committing £1.5 billion to equip the health service with more surgical hubs and scanners to help catch more cancers earlier.

The recently published NHS planning guidance (https://www.england.nhs.uk/operational-planning-and-contracting/) has committed to getting a further 100,000 people diagnosed on time by March 2026, with the government on track to deliver this significantly ahead of schedule.

With 2.8 million people expected to be living with cancer this year in England alone, improving outcomes for patients, including quicker diagnosis, is a key part of the government’s plans to cut waiting times and deliver fundamental NHS reform through the Plan for Change.

Professor Peter Johnson, NHS National Clinical Director for Cancer, said:

Providing rapid access to tests ensures that people with cancer can start treatment as soon as possible when it is most likely to be successful, and will help to put people’s minds at rest if they don’t have cancer, so it is an important step forward that thousands more patients each month are getting the all-clear or a diagnosis within 4 weeks.

Thanks to the efforts of staff and NHS campaigns encouraging people to get worrying symptoms checked out or to take up our offer of screening, we are seeing more people coming forward than ever, and I encourage anyone who is overdue for a check or who has noticed changes in their body to contact their GP surgery as soon as possible so they can get checked.

Lord Darzi’s investigation into the NHS (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-investigation-of-the-nhs-in-england) highlighted that the rate of improvement for cancer survival slowed substantially during the 2010s, and the government has been steadfast in its commitment to improving outcomes for patients.

Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, Michelle Mitchell, said:

Waiting for answers can be an incredibly worrying period for anyone affected, so we welcome the government’s commitment to further cut waits for cancer diagnosis and treatment this year.

The UK government has the opportunity to improve things further and faster with their upcoming national cancer plan for England. More people are being diagnosed with cancer than ever before, and our health service needs a long-term plan to be able to properly prepare and help people live longer, better lives.

Eve Byrne, Director of National System Change at Macmillan Cancer Support, said:

We welcome these changes and the positive impact this will have on people living with cancer.

We are looking forward to working with the government to transform cancer care by developing the national cancer plan. This is an opportunity to make sure everybody in the UK can access world-class cancer care, whoever they are, wherever they may be based.

Alongside the 10 Year Health Plan, the government will also publish its national cancer plan this year, with a call for evidence (https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/shaping-the-national-cancer-plan) now live to encourage cancer experts, people living with cancer and medical professionals to help shape its development.

A new UK Collaborative for Cancer Clinical Research is also being launched to provide co-ordination, target investment and maximise opportunities for the UK to lead in clinical research. This will help to unlock innovation and growth.