BMJ 2000;320:838-839 ( 25 March )

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Waiting times for cancer patients in England after general practitioners' referrals: retrospective national survey

This paper was first posted on www.bmj.com on 13   March 2000

Peter Spurgeon, professor of health services management ^a,  Fred Barwell, honorary research fellow ^a,  David Kerr, professor of clinical oncology ^b. 

^a Health Services Management Centre, School of Public Policy, University of Birmingham, Park House, Birmingham B15 2RT, ^b CRC Institute for Cancer Studies, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TJ

Correspondence to: P Spurgeon p.spurgeon@bham.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Britain fares rather badly in international comparisons of cancer patients' survival rates. Relative survival rates in England and Wales¹ are generally lower than in Europe,² which in turn are lower than rates in the United States.³ The differences between England and Wales and the rest of Western Europe in survival rates for colon cancer and female breast cancer arise primarily in the first six months after diagnosis, suggesting that these differences may relate to later presentation or delays in treatment for British patients.

Given this background, the government has pledged to "end waiting times for cancer surgery, thereby helping thousands of women waiting for breast cancer treatment." The assumption is that reduced waiting times will lead to more rapid diagnosis, earlier instigation of care, and reduced psychological morbidity. Indeed, the NHS has been asked to set a target of two weeks from referral by a general practitioner to first hospital . . . [Full text of this article]

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