Metric permalink

Cancer 62-day treatment standard (England)

Official

Part of the Public Service Capacity domain. Percentage of cancer patients starting treatment within 62 days of urgent GP referral, against the 85% national standard.

Latest data

Latest reading

Latest value
69.9% treated within 62 days of referral (target 85)

June 2026

Previous value
70% treated within 62 days of referral (target 85)
+4 pts

Change between the two latest observations (May 2026 to June 2026), in stress score.

Direction of badnesslower is worse

A lower reading is treated as worse for this indicator.

Score composition

Stress score

54/100

Since the August 2026 release

+5 ptsfrom 49 to 54

What changed on this indicator between the two releases: normalisation changed, method only.

Blended from two measured components: (2/3 weight) and trend (1/3 weight); where no trend can be computed the metric is scored on its level alone. Volatility is published as a diagnostic and does not enter the blend. Full formula on the methodology page.

Level · 2/3 weight

56percentile

Percentile: this metric is scored against its own history, where today sits between its best and worst recorded years.

Trend · 1/3 weight

51stable

Measured from the direction and size of the change between the two most recent readings.

Volatility · diagnostic, not blended

30

Measured from how much this indicator has swung period on period across its recorded history.

Data confidence and provenance

Confidence and source

0.90High0.90

How much weight to put on the reading, the mean data-confidence across the component metrics (source quality, recency and completeness).

Source

NHS EnglandOfficial

Cancer waiting times

Update frequency
Monthly
Reliability
high
View source series ↗

Provenance

Provider
NHS England
Series ID
Cancer 62-day standard
Frequency
monthly
Accessed
15 August 2026

Known weakness

England-only; the 62-day clock can be paused for patient-initiated delays, and pathway complexity means like-for-like comparisons over time require care.

Notes

Verified official value from NHS England (Cancer 62-day standard), accessed 2026-08-15.

Historical values

History

PeriodValueRelative
Nov 202570.2
Dec 202571.9
Jan 202668.4
Feb 202668.6
Mar 202672.8
Apr 202670
May 202669.6
June 202669.9