Cancer wait times worsen despite government's ambitious treatment targets

Across England, thousands of cancer patients each month are waiting longer than they should for treatment that could save their lives — and the gap between government ambition and clinical reality is widening. Since the National Cancer Plan set a target of 80 percent of patients beginning treatment within 62 days of referral, the actual figure has fallen, not risen, from 71.9 to 69.9 percent. Behind this statistic lies a familiar constellation of systemic failures: too few staff, too little equipment, too little coordination, and a promised oversight body that has yet to take shape. The human