New Approaches to Tackling Cancer Being Developed in Gwent and Across Wales, NHS Chiefs Report Mixed Performance

NEW approaches to tackling cancer are being drawn up by NHS chiefs in Gwent and across Wales with performance described as mixed. 
Health boards in Wales have a target to ensure 75 per cent of their patients receive cancer diagnostic tests in a timely manner and start their treatment within 62 days, from the very first point where cancer might be suspected. 
Only 63.7 per cent of patients from Gwent’s Aneurin Bevan University Health Board started their treatment within 62 days, figures from August this year show. 
The latest figures show there are currently 308 Gwent patients waiting 62 days or more to start their cancer treatment while 89 have been waiting more than 104 days which is more than three months. 
Both backlogs are however described as “reducing” following increases during 2025 while the board did achieve a 76 per cent performance that diagnostic tests are carried out within 28 days, against its target of 75 per cent. 
The NHS in Gwent receives approximately 40,000 suspected cancer referrals a year and records around 4,600 cancer diagnoses each year, which is a 35 per cent increase since 2019/20 when there were 29,896 referrals. 
First treatments increased from 3,704 to 4,635, an increase of 25 per cent, over the same period. 
Cancer is the most common cause of death and premature death in Wales, accounting for around one quarter of all deaths. 
A Wales Audit Office report has found while the Aneurin Bevan Board has “worked well” to manage increasing demand without a “corresponding significant worsening of waiting times performance” it still failing to hit targets and failed to produce “lasting improvement”. 
The report also highlighted the board has been without a “clear, detailed improvement plan”, which has made meeting rising demand and increasing targets difficult, and neither is there a long-term financial plan to address cancer costs rising faster than inflation. 
At the board’s September meeting members were told the board is developing a Gwent Cancer Plan 2035 to guide its work which will sit beside an all Wales plan with both documents due to be published in February or March 2027. 
Chief operating officer Leanne Watkins told members: “It’s fair to say Wales has lacked a strategy for cancer treatment with no national plan for us to follow and we’ve had to plough our own furrow.” 
She described the Wales Audit Office report as “a fair reflection of where we’re at on cancer.” 
Ms Watkins said: “Cancer remains one of our highest strategic priorities and we’re just about managing to cope with the increase in demand.” 
In line with the findings of the Wales Audit Office the board was told performance against target on different types of cancer varies. 
Ms Watkins also said cancer services are also provided by partners, including the Velindre Centre in Cardiff, and while the Aneurin Bevan Board is responsible for performance it wants to understand what delays it is responsible for and which are due to partners. 
Work on increasing use of digital records is also taking place. Ms Watkins said: “We still have paper referrals floating around which can cause difficulties with a 62 day target.” 
Board chairman Andrew Morgan said he understood performance to be mixed and said: “We are making improvements but demand coming in, in some areas, is growing at a faster pace than we are able to improve at.”  ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​