Cancer waiting times
The NHS aims to assess, diagnose and treat cancer as quickly as possible. Find out more about the referrals, standards and targets that help them do this.
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Getting a cancer diagnosis
The NHS across the UK aims to make sure that people with cancer or suspected cancer are assessed, diagnosed and treated as quickly as possible. Each country has guidelines, targets and standards that help make this happen.
Getting an accurate diagnosis of cancer can take weeks or sometimes months. But it is important to get the right diagnosis, so you can get the best treatment. It can also be stressful if you are waiting for treatment to start or facing a delay in the NHS.
We have more information about the support available after a cancer diagnosis.
Urgent referral for suspected cancer
If you have symptoms that suggest you might have cancer, your GP, nurse or dentist may decide you need to see a specialist quickly. They will make an urgent referral for suspected cancer.
There is no standard timeline for urgent suspected cancer referrals. The urgent referral means your GP, nurse or dentist is asking for a specialist appointment for you as soon as possible. Ask them how long it will take to get an appointment. You should get a letter, email or a call with your appointment details.
There are guidelines that help them decide when to make this type of referral. The guidelines sometimes also recommend how quickly you should have tests or see a specialist.
The guidelines are different in each part of the UK.
- England and Wales - Suspected cancer: recognition and referral.
- Scotland - Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer.
- Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland Referral Guidance for Suspected Cancer.
Wherever you live, you will meet with a specialist as soon as possible.
An urgent referral can be worrying. But remember that 9 out of 10 people (90%) referred this way will not have a diagnosis of cancer.
Related pages
Waiting for tests
Your specialist doctor or GP will explain any tests needed to find out what is causing your symptoms.
There are many different types of tests and scans. Some specialised scans are only available in larger hospitals. You might need to go to a different hospital for this, or have other types of tests. This can mean you have to wait longer before you get a diagnosis.
Ask your specialist doctor or GP:
- when you will get the appointment for your tests
- who to contact if you do not get a letter, email or call about the appointment.
Waiting for results
After any test or scan, your results are examined, and a report is written based on the results. This report is sent to the person who requested the test. This is usually the specialist doctor or your GP, who will give you the results.
It can take about 2 or 3 weeks before you get your results, depending on the tests you had.
Ask your specialist doctor or GP how long they think it will take before you get your results and who to contact if you do not hear anything.
Related pages
Waiting for a diagnosis
If you live in England
In England, the NHS aims to take no longer than 28 days from referral to finding out whether you have cancer. This is called the Faster Diagnosis Standard.
This target applies to you if you had:
- an urgent suspected cancer referral
- a referral to have breast symptoms checked, even if cancer is not suspected
- an abnormal breast, bowel or cervical screening result and are referred for further tests.
If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
The NHS in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland does not have a faster diagnosis standard target. But healthcare professionals will follow guidelines for making an urgent suspected cancer referral. They will do everything they can to find a diagnosis as quickly as possible.
Waiting to start treatment
Across the UK, there are 2 main NHS standards about starting cancer treatment.
The 62-day standard – cancer treatment should start within 62 days of when your referral for suspected cancer is received.
The 31-day standard – cancer treatment should start within 31 days of the decision to treat. This period starts from when you are diagnosed, and a decision is made with your team to start cancer treatment.
These standards are goals that the NHS uses to measure performance. But they do not mean that every person’s treatment will start within these timeframes. There are also some differences in how the standards are measured in the different countries of the UK.
Sometimes it you may need to wait longer before treatment starts. This might happen if your doctor needs to do more tests before starting treatment. This is to make sure you get the best treatment for cancer.
If you are worried about how long you are waiting, talk to your specialist doctor or GP.
If your cancer has come back (recurrence)
If you live in England
NHS England has a waiting time target for cancer that has come back. This is called a recurrence. The target states that you should start treatment within 31 days. The time starts from the meeting in which you and your doctor agree your treatment plan.
If you live in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not set a waiting time target for cancer that has come back. But you will start treatment as soon as possible.
Looking after your physical health and wellbeing
If you are waiting for treatment, it is important to be as fit as possible.
If you are waiting for a referral, a healthy, balanced diet and staying active can also give you back a sense of control.
Macmillan has information and services to help you take care of your physical health and wellbeing.
Boots Macmillan Information Pharmacists
If you are worried about cancer waiting times
We understand that waiting for a diagnosis or cancer treatment is a worrying time. You may be already experiencing a delay, or you might be worried about how it could affect you. We are here to support you.
You can find out more information on cancer waiting times in the UK.
Talk to our cancer nurses
If you are concerned about waiting times, referrals, changes or disruption to your treatment, or you have questions about cancer, you can contact our specially trained nurses. Call the Macmillan Support Line for free on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am to 8pm).
You can also get support by:
Macmillan Buddies
Macmillan Buddies are trained volunteers who often have a cancer experience or know someone who has. They can support you with a weekly phone call.
Online Community
The Macmillan Online Community is our cancer forum. It's free and open to everyone 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You can share what you're feeling with others with cancer and get support.
You can also ask one of our cancer experts a question and get a reply within 2 working days.
Email support
Local support groups
There are local cancer self-help and support groups across the UK. You can search by postcode to discover a range of nearby cancer support services, including Macmillan.
Making a complaint about your care
Everyone should get the very best cancer care and treatment. Most people are happy with the treatment and care they get from healthcare professionals. But sometimes mistakes happen, or things go wrong. If you are unhappy about your treatment, you have the right to complain.
Giving feedback or making a complaint is important. It lets health services and professionals understand what is working well and what the problems are. This helps them learn what needs to change to give patients better care.
Making a complaint can also be a positive way of dealing with an upsetting situation. Getting an apology or an explanation about what went wrong may help you understand and cope with what happened. It may also be reassuring to know what is being done to make sure the situation will not happen again.
We have information on how to make a complaint including tips on having difficult conversations.
About our information
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer.
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our diagnosis and staging information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at informationproductionteam@macmillan.org.uk
Office for National Statistics. Waiting times for cancer treatment across the UK. Release date: 23 August 2024. [accessed March 2025].
Date reviewed
Our cancer information meets the PIF TICK quality mark.
This means it is easy to use, up-to-date and based on the latest evidence. Learn more about how we produce our information.
The language we use
We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.
We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:
- use plain English
- explain medical words
- use short sentences
- use illustrations to explain text
- structure the information clearly
- make sure important points are clear.
We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.
You can read more about how we produce our information here.
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