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NHS ‘falling short’ on cancer waiting times

A new report by the Public Accounts Committee has criticised NHS England’s recovery programme for its ‘over-optimism’ and highlights a need for improved workforce planning – particularly around social care. CSJ provides an overview of the key findings and recommendations.

In a recent report, the Public Accounts Committee warned that cancer waiting times are at their worst recorded level and NHS England will not meet its first cancer recovery target. Though the first target for elective care was to eliminate two-year waits by July 2022, in August 2022, there were 2,600 patients who had been waiting more than two years, and a record 7 million people on waiting lists in total.

The Committee said that NHS England made unrealistic assumptions about the first year of recovery, including that there would be low levels of COVID-19 and minimal adverse effects from winter pressures. The Committee expressed serious doubts that the wider NHS recovery plan will be achieved on time.

It added that the NHS is still not planning properly for the staffing and other resources it needs to deliver additional diagnostic and treatment capacity, though much of it was already needed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Upcoming Events

Continence Care and Tissue Viability Conference

Grand Station Wolverhampton
21 June 2023

Hygiene and sustainability in endoscopy: finding the balance

Online Event
Thursday 22nd June 2023

EBME Expo 2023

Judds Lane, Coventry, England, GB, CV6 6
28th - 29th June 2023

AfPP Annual Conference 2023

University of York
10- 13 August 2023

MEDICA - Leading International Trade Fair

Schadowstraße 49, 40212 Düsseldorf, Germany
13- 16 November 2023

Future Surgery

Excel Centre London
14 - 15 November 2023

Access the latest issue of Clinical Services Journal on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Clinical Services Journal app from your device's App store

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