A NEW single waiting time target for starting cancer treatment for patients in Wales will be introduced next June.

The aims of the new Single Suspected Cancer Pathway - the first of its kind in the UK - will be to speed up diagnosis, and ensure fast and effective treatments for all patients, to improve outcomes.

Wales currently has two waiting times targets within which cancer treatments should begin - 31 days and 62 days.

The 62-day target is for patients who have been referred on the urgent suspected cancer pathway. The 31-day target covers patients whose symptoms may have been vaguer, or whose diagnosis comes as a result of tests or treatment for unrelated conditions. The latter may appear quicker, but diagnosis may have taken longer.

The single cancer pathway, will start from the point a patient is suspected of having cancer, rather than when cancer is confirmed, as is currently the case for some cancer patients. It is intended that treatment should start no later than 62 days from the point of suspicion.

The Welsh Government will support the single cancer pathway with a £3 million investment from 2019/20.

The new pathway will not replace the two existing methods for the time being, but health boards are expected to dual report performance against all three pathways from next June.

More than 17,000 people in Wales began definitive treatment for cancer in the past year, 8.6 per cent more than five years ago - and 8.1 per cent more patients began that treatment within the target times than five years ago.

Health secretary Vaughan Gething acknowledged however, that targets have not been met often enough, while highlighting that around 92 per cent of people with cancer are being treated within the target time across both pathways.

“We want to ensure that anyone who experiences cancer in Wales has access to timely and appropriate treatment that will deliver the best possible outcome," he said.

“Proposals for the single cancer pathway have been clinically led and have wide support across the clinical community.

"Through dual reporting of the single cancer pathway, Wales will be the first UK nation to move towards a single waiting time measure for cancer. It is reflective of our aspiration to support early diagnosis of cancer and ensure fast and effective treatment for all patients.

“The new way of measuring people’s waits for cancer treatment will improve quality and outcomes for our cancer patients and I am confident that it is the right approach for Wales.”

The Single Suspected Cancer Pathway has been welcomed by the charity Tenovus Cancer Care as "an important and long awaited" opportunity to transform cancer services in Wales.

But it has stressed that more diagnostic capacity will be required to help drive the new system.

Welcoming its introduction from next June, chief executive Claudia McVie, said: “For too long we have had a system that often does not work for patients, leaving them with delays in diagnosis, referral or treatment, which can have a devastating effect on their health and chances of survival.

“There is no reason why Wales should continue to lag behind many other similarly developed countries around the world for waiting times and survival rates, and hopefully the Single Cancer Pathway will start to fix some of the issues that need to be addressed urgently.

“Patients need a streamlined and efficient pathway which gives them access to the best treatment in a timely manner and if implemented correctly, a Single Cancer Pathway should improve patients’ experiences and cut delays.

“We have called for more diagnostic capacity across NHS Wales for many years and we hope the new Single Cancer Pathway is an important step in reducing the inequality throughout the system.”

The new system will give a clearer picture of what is happening to patients going through a cancer diagnosis, according to Cancer Research UK.

“The Welsh Government’s commitment to detecting cancer earlier is important. Patients diagnosed at the earliest stages of cancer are more likely to have successful treatment," said Andy Glyde, the charity's public affairs manager in Wales.

"For the new Single Cancer Pathway to achieve its full potential it has to be used to inform how we improve cancer diagnosis in Wales, including making sure we have the right workforce in place.”

Professor Tom Crosby, medical director for the Wales Cancer Network said the new treatment pathway is the culmination of three years of work to change how health boards identify and report cancers, and to improve patients’ cancer experiences - from the time patients are suspected of having cancer to when they are told they do not have cancer, or until their treatment starts.

“The best international evidence shows that when you provide more open and quicker access to diagnostic tests and treatment, the better the outcomes are for cancer patients," Professor Crosby.

"Overall, patients have a good experience of cancer services in Wales but survival rates are poor, in comparison to similarly developed countries.

"The overarching ambition of the (pathway) is to close this gap by placing focus on waiting times, cancer service reform and a relentless drive to detect cancer at an earlier stage.

“The announcement will drive the development of an intelligent information system for understanding the real demand for cancer diagnostic tests and enabling health boards to better plan their cancer services to meet that need.

"It creates a platform for providing a world-class diagnostic and treatment system across Wales that gives patients the very best chance of beating cancer, by making sure they have easier access to diagnostic tests, and getting their treatment plans underway at rapid pace.”

Dana Knoyle, clinical lead for the Single Cancer Pathway said: "Patients should have access to the best possible treatment without delay to ensure they have a good quality of life and ultimately the best possible chance of survival.

"We also know that patients want physical, emotional and social support and clear advice about what to expect when they go through diagnostic tests and treatment.

"The Single Cancer Pathway will ensure that patients are supported at every stage of their cancer journey.”