The NHS has announced plans to reform cancer standards to speed up diagnosis and treatment for patients with three new additional standards for cancer.
Thousands of patients are set to be referred for urgent cancer checks every month to speed up diagnosis and treatment after clinical experts expanded on the NHS’s current ten performance standards for cancer.
The NHS’s ten performance standards for cancer include the Faster Diagnosis Standard, which was introduced in April 2021.
The government has agreed to approve the 28-Day Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS), the 62-day referral to treatment standard and the 31-day decision to treat to treatment standard.
In line with the 2015 Independent Cancer Taskforce recommendation, the government has said that the FDS will replace the two-week wait target in October.
These additional standards aim to enable NHS providers to diagnose or rule out cancer in 75% of patients within 28 days. A tougher ambition of 80% will be introduced in 2025-26.
Within two years, the NHS aims to provide treatment to diagnosed patients within 62 days of referral and 31 days for those who have had a decision made on their first or subsequent treatment.
The new standards come after the NHS hit a new record of nearly three million patients who received lifesaving cancer checks.
NHS services are set to utilise new innovations and technology for diagnosis and treatment more widely and support newer ways of testing patients by using straight-to-test pathways, remote consultations and advances in technology, including artificial intelligence and teledermatology.
On Monday, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) announced its draft guidance for AI technologies to be used to plan external radiotherapy treatment for different types of cancer.
Dr Tom Roques, the Royal College of Radiologists vice president of clinical oncology, said: “The ability to analyse cancer performance across the country is vital, allowing us to benchmark performance, spot particular areas of concern and take action.”
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS national clinical director for cancer, said: “These three standards have been agreed by leading cancer experts, with the support of cancer charities and clinicians, as the best way for the NHS to ensure patients are diagnosed and able to start treatment quickly.”