The Government has confirmed that NHS England cancer targets are to be streamlined, moving from 10 performance standards to three from October.

The new guidelines will move away from the “outdated” 2-week wait target, the Government said, which will be replaced with the Faster Diagnosis Standard.

Currently, anyone who is referred urgently by their GP with suspected cancer must be seen by a specialist within 14 days.

The Faster Diagnosis Standard was initially introduced in April 2021 but has been under “rigorous consultation”, according to the Government. It aims to diagnose 75% of people with cancer at an early stage, as well as cutting down the time between referral and diagnosis to reduce anxiety for patients. It also supports a goal outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan to have 55,000 more people surviving cancer for 5 years or longer by 2028.

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‘I am supporting the OPA’s mission to raise awareness for Oesophageal and Gastric cancers, as well as, continue their amazing work in supporting patients, their families and also helping prevent this terrible disease – which doesn’t get as much wide spread attention as it should do – so, the more we raise, support and talk about the OPA the more aware people will be!

The OPA is close to mine and my family’s heart as sadly my dad passed away in March after a hard thought battle with Oesophageal cancer.

We decided to honour my dad, Roy’s memory by walking Ben Nevis for the OPA on a sunny day in early June, it was a great experience – even getting lucky enough to see the recently retired C130 Hercules fly past a couple of times at the summit which added to a very fulfilling day especially as my dad was a big fan of RAF aircrafts!

I hope the money raised will go a long way to supporting other families and individuals who are sadly going through a similar situation. hopefully, it’s the start of many fundraisers to help the OPA continue the great work they do.’ – Stan Armstrong