Nearly all NHS trusts failing to hit cancer target

⚠️ Nearly All English Hospitals Miss Key Cancer Target

According to BBC analysis, nearly every hospital trust in England is failing to meet the main NHS waiting time target for cancer care.

Only three out of 121 hospital trusts in England are treating cancer patients quickly enough—within the 62-day target—with experts warning that delays could be putting lives in jeopardy.

The government acknowledged that waits were too long but said it was investing in the NHS to improve results. Research shows that getting medical attention quickly is critical, with every four-week delay reducing patient survival by an average of 10%.

Dr Timothy Hanna, a leading global cancer expert who supervised the study, described the BBC's findings as "worrying."

"It's not a few outliers," he said. "Trusts in England are failing to meet these waiting time targets, and they are set for a reason: timely intervention can increase survival rates."

Paul, who has stage three colon cancer, is one of many patients who has experienced delays. Cancer was first suspected in January 2024, when he had his first biopsy. Despite his best efforts, he did not hear anything further from his cancer clinic until January this year. He underwent colon surgery in February.

"The waiting was horrible, and now I think that if I had been treated properly and not had to wait so long, I may not have reached stage three," Paul said.

He is expected to have more surgery next year.

🤔 Why Hospitals Are Struggling

Hospitals report that the demand for testing and care is outstripping capacity. The BBC was also told of times when things go wrong, including scanning and radiotherapy machine failures, lost GP referral letters, and staffing issues, which means appointments are cancelled at the last minute.

BBC Verify examined the performance of every major cancer service in England over the 12 months from September 2024 to August 2025. Over one in four trusts has been missing all three cancer objectives over the past year.

Several of the main regional cancer hubs say they are struggling with "inherited waits," as they often receive complicated patients transferred from smaller hospitals.

💬 'We Can't Deliver the Care We Want'

The Royal Free NHS Trust in London, which is ranked 109th out of 121 for 62-day waits, is one service struggling with inherited waits. However, like many low-ranking trusts, its results are improving.

The centre serves patients from across south-east England as a nationwide kidney cancer centre. Although it has new equipment, including robotic surgery theatres, administrative difficulties can result in operations being suspended or cancelled. The day before the BBC visited the hospital, a theatre remained empty because a patient had not received a letter confirming their surgery.

Radiotherapy is another area the Royal Free wishes to improve. One of its two machines is more than ten years old, the point at which they should be retired, as they are less efficient and less reliable.

"We can't provide the service we want to, and it can lead to patient delays," said Claire Hartill, the Royal Free's head of radiotherapy. "We need a newer machine; it provides better care at a faster rate, so it can accommodate more people per hour."

The trust submitted a business plan to the government earlier this year to purchase a new machine, but it was turned down.

🏆 How the Best Performers Are Doing It

Calderdale and Huddersfield, East and North Hertfordshire, and Bolton NHS Trusts are among the few services achieving the 62-day target over the past 12 months. Streamlined communication, state-of-the-art technology, and joined-up team efforts appear to be key factors.

Paul, a man in his 50s, was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the Lister Hospital in Stevenage, part of the East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust. On the day he was given his diagnosis, he also met with a surgeon and an oncologist to discuss his treatment choices.

He was offered either a long course of radiotherapy or surgery to remove the prostate. Once he had decided on the operation, it was scheduled. His surgery will use robotic technology, which not only reduces side effects but also speeds up recovery. Paul will only be in hospital for one night, freeing up the bed for another patient after 24 hours.

"He [the surgeon] took his diary out, flicked through a few pages, and gave me a date. I said, 'That's a Saturday.' He said, 'Yes, I work Saturdays.'"

Further actions are being taken to reduce capacity issues in the chemotherapy ward. A new initiative, one of the first in England, allows patients on certain types of chemotherapy to learn how to administer the therapy at home. Josephine Hoskins, who lives between London and Devon and requires chemotherapy injections every three weeks, is one of them. "It's revolutionised things for me," she said.

Moving patients like Josephine to 'at-home chemo' opens up a slot for someone who needs more complicated therapy.

🇬🇧 'Determined to Improve'

The government said it was determined to improve waiting times. A new cancer plan is expected to be published by the government early next year. It comes after cancer was designated as a "core priority" in the 10-year NHS strategy announced in July.

"Cancer care is a priority as we address more than a decade of neglect of our NHS," a Department of Health spokeswoman said. "We're working hard to ensure patients receive timely diagnosis and treatment," she added, pointing to the expansion of community diagnostic centres, offering evening and weekend appointments, and spending £70 million on new radiotherapy equipment.

But ministers will struggle to solve the problems outlined by the BBC's study, according to Sarah Scobie of the Nuffield Trust health think tank. "The truth for the government is that making meaningful progress on waiting times will be extremely difficult," she said.

📊 About the Data

BBC News reviewed official cancer waiting time statistics from NHS England for the 12 months from September 2024 to August 2025. The NHS releases reports monthly, but this analysis looked at performance for the whole year.

The investigation assessed how acute trusts performed against the three national cancer goals. Specialist non-cancer hospitals (such as eye or orthopaedic hospitals) were excluded from the analysis. Trusts were ranked according to their results on the 62-day target, which covers the entire waiting period from an urgent referral to the start of therapy.