Oxford University Hospitals Trust is missing a key cancer treatment target, figures show.

The NHS states 85 per cent of cancer patients with an urgent referral should start treatment within 62 days.

But NHS England data shows just 64 per cent of cancer patients urgently referred to Oxford University Hospitals Trust in January began treatment within two months of their referral.

That was down from 65 per cent in December. However, it was up from 51 per cent in January 2023.

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Across England the proportion of patients waiting longer than 62 days in January from an urgent suspected cancer referral or consultant upgrade to their first definitive treatment for cancer was 62 per cent.

That was down from 66 per cent in December and below the target of 85 per cent.

Minesh Patel, head of policy at Macmillan Cancer Support, said these delays "can’t go on".

"Healthcare professionals are doing all they can but are working in a permanent state of crisis," he added.

"If the UK government acts now, we can turn this around and ensure our cancer system is fit for purpose in the years to come.

"We need a long-term cancer strategy in England that provides the investment and focus needed so that everybody with a cancer diagnosis gets the timely and quality care they deserve."

A separate NHS target aims for 75 per cent of patients with suspected cancer to be diagnosed or have the disease ruled out within 28 days.

At Oxford University Hospitals Trust, made up of the John Radcliffe, the Churchill Hospital and the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre in Oxford, and the Horton Hospital in Banbury, 76 per cent of patients were seen within that timeframe.