NHS England has announced that they have exceeded the Faster Diagnosis Standard (FDS) for cancer.
This means that over the last month more than four fifths (80.2%) of people received the all clear or a definitive cancer diagnosis within four weeks – the highest proportion on record.
The FDS was introduced in 2021 to replace the Two Week Wait (2WW) standard, with an aim of ensuring at least 75% of people are told they have cancer or that cancer is excluded within 28 days from referral by March 2024.
BIVDA Chief Executive, Helen Dent, said: “Reaching a record level in meeting the faster diagnosis standard is a significant achievement and deserves recognition, as early and accelerated cancer diagnoses save lives. However, there is still more to be done.
“Appointing a National Diagnostics Director, as recommended in our recent consensus statement, would help sustain and build on this progress. It would also support the adoption of diagnostic tests that have the potential to further improve outcomes across the NHS.”
In the same announcement, NHSE noted their delivery of an additional 3.1 million appointments since July 2024. Overall waiting lists have therefore fallen for a sixth month in a row.
The backlog has now dropped to 7.4 million with a reduction of 26,000 compared to the previous month. The estimated number of patients waiting in February stands at 6.24 million.
