Recommendation 12

We recognise that the disruption to cancer services during the pandemic was primarily driven by the need to mitigate the risk posed by Covid-19 to patients undergoing cancer treatment. We also recognise the efforts made by the NHS to maintain treatment or offer alternative treatment options. Nonetheless, we remain extremely concerned at the ongoing disruption to cancer treatment and the lives lost prematurely as a result. While NHS England has continued to prioritise cancer services, we are yet to be convinced that there is sufficient recognition of the scale of the issue, and we are deeply concerned that the target for clearing the backlog for cancer diagnosis and treatment has been moved back by an entire year.