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)
Direction of badnesslower is worse

A lower reading is treated as worse for this indicator.

Score composition

Stress score

49/100

Blended from three components: (60% weight), trend (30% weight) and volatility (10% weight). Full formula on the methodology page.

Level · 60% weight

50bounds

Bounds: scored against fixed best/worst limits, used until a metric has about eight years of verified data to rank against.

Trend · 30% weight

51stable

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

Volatility · 10% weight

33

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
13 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 2026-08-13.

Historical values

History

PeriodValueRelative
Feb 202668.6
Mar 202672.8
Apr 202670
May 202669.6
June 202669.9