Cancer waiting times data for August 2026 (provisional), published 8 October 2026 · Page updated 1 November 2026
NHS cancer waiting times
In August 2026, 78.6% of 273,664 people in England urgently referred for suspected cancer were diagnosed or had cancer ruled out within 28 days (standard 80%). 92.1% started treatment within 31 days of a decision to treat (standard 96%) and 71.9% within 62 days of urgent referral (standard 85%).
These are provisional NHS England figures. Most people referred urgently with suspected cancer do not have cancer (Cancer Research UK: urgent referrals for suspected cancer). The two-week wait target was replaced in 2023 by the 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard.
How do cancer waits compare with NHS standards?
| Standard | What it measures | England | People | Target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard | Diagnosis or all-clear within 28 days of urgent referral or screening | 78.6% | 273,664 | 80% |
| 31-day | Treatment within 31 days of the decision to treat | 92.1% | 55,049 | 96% |
| 62-day | Treatment within 62 days of urgent referral, screening or consultant upgrade | 71.9% | 27,909 | 85% (80% at each trust by March 2027) |
How long does it take to get a cancer diagnosis or all-clear?
| Time from urgent referral | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Within 14 days | 118,898 | 43.4% |
| 15 to 28 days | 96,093 | 35.1% |
| 29 to 42 days | 31,267 | 11.4% |
| 43 to 62 days | 17,298 | 6.3% |
| After 62 days | 10,108 | 3.7% |
Which suspected cancer types are checked within 28 days?
| Referral type | People | Within 28 days |
|---|---|---|
| Suspected skin cancer | 72,411 | 85.8% |
| Suspected breast cancer | 45,974 | 87.9% |
| Suspected lower gastrointestinal cancer | 44,370 | 68.0% |
| Suspected gynaecological cancer | 25,928 | 68.7% |
| Suspected head & neck cancer | 24,307 | 76.1% |
| Suspected urological malignancies (excluding testicular) | 19,445 | 67.7% |
| Suspected upper gastrointestinal cancer | 18,153 | 78.0% |
| Exhibited (non-cancer) breast symptoms - cancer not initially suspected | 7,570 | 89.8% |
| Suspected lung cancer | 5,216 | 77.7% |
| Suspected cancer - non-specific symptoms | 4,435 | 76.0% |
| Suspected haematological malignancies (excluding acute leukaemia) | 1,521 | 62.1% |
| Suspected sarcoma | 1,369 | 68.2% |
| Suspected children's cancer | 999 | 89.3% |
| Suspected testicular cancer | 824 | 85.3% |
| Suspected brain/central nervous system tumours | 759 | 88.3% |
| Suspected other cancer | 276 | 72.1% |
| Suspected acute leukaemia | 28 | 96.4% |
Which cancers are treated within 62 days?
| Cancer type | People treated | Within 62 days |
|---|---|---|
| Skin | 5,463 | 87.0% |
| Breast | 4,318 | 70.5% |
| Urological - Prostate | 3,708 | 71.0% |
| Lung | 3,014 | 62.0% |
| Lower Gastrointestinal | 2,708 | 62.4% |
| Urological - Other (a) | 1,648 | 60.9% |
| Gynaecological | 1,280 | 61.2% |
| Upper Gastrointestinal - Hepatobiliary | 1,215 | 79.1% |
| Head & Neck | 1,031 | 60.3% |
| Haematological - Lymphoma | 1,003 | 67.9% |
| Other (a) | 919 | 81.3% |
| Upper Gastrointestinal - Oesophagus & Stomach | 836 | 70.1% |
| Haematological - Other (a) | 766 | 90.3% |
(a): groups that NHS England combines. Counts are provider-based and provisional.
How do cancer waits compare between NHS trusts?
NHS acute trusts grouped by region. Trusts share many cancer patients, and NHS England allocates their 62-day waits between them, so small differences may not be meaningful.
| Trust | Region | 28-day % | 28-day people | 31-day % | 62-day % | 62-day people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust | London | 80.9% | 2,623 | 99.0% | 74.2% | 223 |
| Barts Health NHS Trust | London | 81.5% | 3,360 | 97.9% | 80.8% | 240 |
| Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | London | 83.4% | 2,679 | 99.3% | 90.6% | 164 |
| Croydon Health Services NHS Trust | London | 84.9% | 1,844 | 92.6% | 75.1% | 98 |
| Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust | London | 91.7% | 1,448 | 100.0% | 88.9% | 130 |
| Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust | London | – | – | 100.0% | 100.0%* | 6 |
| Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust | London | 86.7% | 2,480 | 88.9% | 65.8% | 284 |
| Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | London | 87.4% | 922 | 100.0% | 88.8% | 62 |
| Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust | London | 82.9% | 2,607 | 96.3% | 66.8% | 221 |
| King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | London | 78.6% | 3,408 | 95.8% | 72.2% | 273 |
| Kingston and Richmond NHS Foundation Trust | London | 76.1% | 1,968 | 97.9% | 77.2% | 138 |
| Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust | London | 81.7% | 3,150 | 96.7% | 71.5% | 161 |
| London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust | London | 79.4% | 2,956 | 99.4% | 86.5% | 159 |
| Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | London | 72.7%* | 11 | 100.0% | 81.8%* | 11 |
| Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust | London | 82.3% | 5,642 | 94.5% | 86.0% | 450 |
| Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust | London | 80.6% | 124 | 100.0% | 96.2% | 26 |
| St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | London | 85.0% | 2,007 | 96.1% | 77.6% | 185 |
| The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | London | 81.9% | 1,300 | 93.9% | 75.5% | 100 |
| The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust | London | 91.9% | 604 | 97.4% | 76.1% | 150 |
| University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | London | 87.8% | 1,816 | 96.1% | 77.4% | 196 |
| Whittington Health NHS Trust | London | 89.2% | 951 | 100.0% | 84.0% | 47 |
| Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 85.9% | 2,298 | 91.2% | 82.3% | 158 |
| Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust | South East | 73.2% | 2,304 | 91.1% | 61.9% | 197 |
| Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust | South East | 78.1% | 927 | 95.9% | 65.0% | 103 |
| East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 64.0% | 3,746 | 95.7% | 67.2% | 330 |
| East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | South East | 84.5% | 2,972 | 97.5% | 68.4% | 247 |
| Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 87.8% | 3,058 | 96.4% | 84.7% | 306 |
| Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 77.0% | 2,268 | 96.3% | 74.3% | 200 |
| Isle of Wight NHS Trust | South East | 80.5% | 550 | 95.8% | 70.5% | 64 |
| Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust | South East | 83.0% | 1,726 | 97.7% | 83.8% | 228 |
| Medway NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 80.1% | 1,568 | 99.0% | 70.8% | 145 |
| Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 82.1% | 3,135 | 74.3% | 66.2% | 393 |
| Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust | South East | 76.8% | 3,342 | 96.4% | 73.8% | 399 |
| Queen Victoria Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 58.6% | 727 | 89.1% | 75.0% | 90 |
| Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 83.1% | 2,367 | 91.5% | 79.5% | 215 |
| Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 80.2% | 979 | 96.4% | 88.9% | 135 |
| Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust | South East | 75.6% | 2,255 | 97.7% | 69.7% | 160 |
| University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 72.3% | 2,294 | 86.3% | 78.3% | 244 |
| University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust | South East | 72.7% | 5,848 | 75.6% | 66.3% | 559 |
| Bristol NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 79.0% | 4,946 | 93.4% | 75.0% | 611 |
| Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 76.6% | 1,131 | 90.2% | 77.6% | 147 |
| Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 74.0% | 2,599 | 92.8% | 65.5% | 339 |
| Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 75.5% | 1,679 | 85.9% | 64.4% | 177 |
| Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust | South West | 82.1% | 2,725 | 91.5% | 78.7% | 345 |
| Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 81.9% | 3,770 | 86.4% | 71.7% | 423 |
| Royal United Hospitals Bath NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 73.3% | 1,995 | 93.2% | 69.9% | 214 |
| Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 78.3% | 1,315 | 89.8% | 73.1% | 145 |
| Somerset NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 74.7% | 2,644 | 91.3% | 77.8% | 351 |
| Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 60.6% | 2,236 | 94.9% | 70.0% | 198 |
| University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust | South West | 73.8% | 3,332 | 95.8% | 70.1% | 387 |
| University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust | South West | 81.7% | 1,720 | 88.8% | 70.6% | 185 |
| Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 80.5% | 174 | 100.0% | 100.0%* | 10 |
| Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 75.0% | 1,290 | 87.2% | 64.4% | 161 |
| George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust | Midlands | 78.6% | 641 | 98.5% | 63.6% | 66 |
| Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 70.9% | 1,411 | 96.1% | 77.6% | 127 |
| Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust | Midlands | 80.7% | 1,810 | 91.0% | 63.4% | 183 |
| Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust | Midlands | 83.9% | 2,520 | 92.2% | 67.2% | 436 |
| Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust | Midlands | 76.0% | 1,508 | 93.9% | 64.7% | 126 |
| Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 84.3% | 1,666 | 90.9% | 66.8% | 128 |
| South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 81.0% | 1,523 | 93.2% | 66.8% | 135 |
| The Dudley Group NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 78.0% | 1,571 | 94.2% | 73.4% | 169 |
| The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 76.9% | 39 | 100.0%* | 60.0%* | 5 |
| The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 66.7% | 75 | 100.0% | 70.0%* | 15 |
| The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust | Midlands | 80.3% | 1,842 | 92.0% | 75.6% | 200 |
| The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust | Midlands | 87.8% | 3,348 | 95.3% | 76.7% | 305 |
| United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | Midlands | 69.6% | 3,320 | 92.9% | 59.7% | 352 |
| University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 87.1% | 3,782 | 91.3% | 71.0% | 530 |
| University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust | Midlands | 85.6% | 2,555 | 98.1% | 77.5% | 247 |
| University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust | Midlands | 75.8% | 4,345 | 92.2% | 62.5% | 472 |
| University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust | Midlands | 78.9% | 4,766 | 87.7% | 57.7% | 459 |
| University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust | Midlands | 82.3% | 4,349 | 95.7% | 72.9% | 366 |
| Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust | Midlands | 87.0% | 918 | 97.5% | 77.0% | 67 |
| Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | Midlands | 82.9% | 2,636 | 77.8% | 55.7% | 357 |
| Wye Valley NHS Trust | Midlands | 85.3% | 901 | 97.2% | 80.6% | 131 |
| Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 76.7% | 2,985 | 94.2% | 61.4% | 247 |
| Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 82.9% | 2,452 | 92.9% | 75.1% | 267 |
| East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 72.6% | 4,124 | 92.7% | 64.7% | 473 |
| East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust | East of England | 65.6% | 1,414 | 96.5% | 79.5% | 227 |
| James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 76.5% | 1,165 | 94.8% | 65.6% | 125 |
| Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 64.3% | 4,029 | 83.0% | 55.1% | 437 |
| Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 83.7% | 1,563 | 96.6% | 60.2% | 134 |
| Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 76.0% | 2,918 | 91.9% | 72.4% | 308 |
| North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 82.2% | 2,275 | 96.1% | 73.4% | 265 |
| Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 16.7%* | 6 | 90.6% | 78.9%* | 19 |
| The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust | East of England | 71.8% | 1,954 | 94.0% | 61.2% | 113 |
| The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 72.5% | 1,489 | 94.6% | 65.0% | 81 |
| West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | East of England | 86.7% | 1,795 | 97.2% | 80.6% | 175 |
| West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust | East of England | 74.9% | 1,144 | 100.0% | 78.7% | 129 |
| Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 100.0% | 20 | 100.0%* | 100.0%* | 8 |
| Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 72.4% | 2,095 | 96.2% | 52.8% | 179 |
| Bolton NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 80.1% | 1,687 | 97.9% | 73.8% | 158 |
| Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 87.1% | 1,576 | 97.7% | 83.8% | 172 |
| East Cheshire NHS Trust | North West | 79.2% | 771 | 100.0% | 59.2% | 73 |
| East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust | North West | 85.2% | 2,122 | 99.3% | 75.4% | 243 |
| Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 81.8% | 2,380 | 86.1% | 73.0% | 254 |
| Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 28.0% | 25 | 100.0% | 74.5% | 23 |
| Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 68.8% | 4,035 | 92.8% | 73.6% | 295 |
| Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 73.8% | 347 | 91.9% | 68.4%* | 19 |
| Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 81.0% | 5,587 | 94.0% | 77.1% | 474 |
| Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | North West | 66.3% | 3,471 | 96.2% | 80.7% | 370 |
| Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 78.8% | 1,953 | 97.4% | 73.7% | 186 |
| North Cheshire and Mersey NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 81.1% | 1,182 | 97.5% | 79.5% | 102 |
| Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 73.3% | 4,472 | 93.1% | 68.5% | 322 |
| Stockport NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 81.3% | 1,022 | 97.8% | 76.5% | 121 |
| Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 80.8% | 1,140 | 94.4% | 79.7% | 111 |
| The Christie NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 100.0% | 22 | 99.3% | 86.5% | 203 |
| The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 66.7%* | 9 | 99.1% | 82.8% | 90 |
| The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 100.0%* | 5 | 100.0%* | 100.0%* | 11 |
| University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 79.2% | 1,874 | 98.2% | 72.8% | 173 |
| Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 74.4% | 2,304 | 94.2% | 78.2% | 192 |
| Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North West | 78.8% | 1,794 | 90.3% | 77.7% | 159 |
| Airedale NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 89.0% | 629 | 99.1% | 89.0% | 81 |
| Barnsley Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 81.1% | 943 | 91.5% | 68.4% | 128 |
| Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 78.7% | 1,763 | 96.9% | 74.1% | 160 |
| Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 77.2% | 2,199 | 97.8% | 89.2% | 199 |
| County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 68.9% | 1,978 | 88.2% | 74.4% | 215 |
| Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 82.8% | 1,879 | 98.3% | 75.1% | 181 |
| Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 41.6% | 1,244 | 98.9% | 59.6% | 137 |
| Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 89.5% | 1,365 | 99.4% | 80.3% | 119 |
| Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 72.9% | 2,625 | 78.1% | 51.7% | 329 |
| Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 80.6% | 4,361 | 96.2% | 72.1% | 441 |
| Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 84.1% | 2,471 | 97.8% | 82.3% | 243 |
| North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 73.8% | 1,627 | 96.8% | 77.8% | 173 |
| North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 75.4% | 1,652 | 87.4% | 62.9% | 159 |
| Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 71.1% | 1,499 | 92.2% | 59.9% | 143 |
| Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 81.2% | 2,089 | 90.7% | 80.1% | 263 |
| Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 95.0% | 20 | 100.0%* | 50.0%* | 1 |
| Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 77.0% | 2,169 | 87.5% | 52.1% | 350 |
| South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 80.1% | 1,866 | 84.1% | 65.7% | 317 |
| South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 80.7% | 1,596 | 97.2% | 81.9% | 226 |
| The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 84.1% | 2,453 | 72.4% | 67.8% | 467 |
| The Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 81.8% | 1,041 | 99.1% | 76.6% | 124 |
| York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | North East and Yorkshire | 74.0% | 1,980 | 97.3% | 71.8% | 285 |
*: fewer than 20 people, so the percentage can change a lot month to month. –: not reported. Download as CSV.
What should I do if I am waiting for urgent cancer tests?
If you have not heard about an appointment after an urgent referral, contact the hospital or your GP to check it has been received. If your symptoms change or get worse, tell your GP. See urgent scans and fast-track referrals.
Not medical advice. If your symptoms change or get worse while you wait, contact your GP or the team treating you. If it is not an emergency, NHS 111 online or calling 111 can tell you where to go, including urgent treatment centres, which often have shorter waits. Call 999 or go to A&E for life-threatening emergencies such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, severe bleeding or signs of a stroke.
Frequently asked questions
Is the two-week wait for cancer still used?
No. In 2023 NHS England replaced the two-week wait standard with the 28-day Faster Diagnosis Standard, which measures the time to a diagnosis or to cancer being ruled out.
What is the 62-day cancer target?
That 85% of people urgently referred with suspected cancer, or referred from screening or upgraded by a consultant, start their first treatment within 62 days.
Do most urgent referrals turn out to be cancer?
No. Most people referred urgently with suspected cancer do not have cancer (Cancer Research UK: urgent referrals for suspected cancer).
Are these figures final?
No. They are provisional and are revised when NHS England publishes the final figures.
How should I cite these figures?
Waiting Times UK, “NHS cancer waiting times”, NHS England cancer waiting times for August 2026 (provisional), https://waitingtimesuk.co.uk/waiting-times/cancer (accessed [date]). Where possible, cite the official publisher too.
Who wrote this page and where do the figures come from?
Written and maintained by the Waiting Times UK editorial team at Oaknest Media Ltd, an independent publisher that is not part of the NHS. Every figure is taken from an official publication, shown with its date, and linked below; where we add up or compare figures ourselves we say so. This page has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not medical advice. Page last updated 1 November 2026, from the data files named below. Figures change when the publisher releases new data.
- NHS England: Cancer waiting times, monthly data (provisional, August 2026, published 8 October 2026)
- NHS England: Cancer waiting times statistical release, August 2026
- Cancer Research UK: urgent referrals for suspected cancer
- NHS England: Medium-term planning framework, 2026/27 to 2028/29 (March 2027 targets)
Official statistics are reproduced under the Open Government Licence v3.0. See data sources and methods and about Waiting Times UK.
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