NHS ‘fails cancer and A&E patients’

THE NHS has missed a string of key performance targets, new figures show.

The target for patients to start cancer treatment within two months of GP referral was missed during 2015/16, yesterday’s NHS report reveals.

Just 82.4 per cent were treated on time, against an 85 per cent target, the worst on record.

Emma Greenwood, of Cancer Research UK, said: “When people are told they might have cancer, the NHS should do everything possible to... diagnose and treat them swiftly.”

The figures also showed that March marked the worst performance for A&E on record, with 87.3 per cent of patients dealt with within four hours. The target was 95 per cent.

More than two million people were treated in A&E during the month, a figure compounded by striking junior doctors.

The 111 non-emergency helpline also performed badly in March, with just 70.7 per cent of calls answered within 60 seconds – the lowest performance on record.