New four week cancer diagnosis target adopted

A new target will see Manx Care aim to begin treatment within 62 days of a referral.

People referred for an urgent cancer diagnosis on the Isle of Man should be given a result within 28 days under Manx Care new targets.

The health care provider said it intended to follow the UK in moving away from the current two-week waiting target to be seen.

Instead it would now aim for 75% of people have a diagnosis within four weeks, with treatment to begin within 62 days of a referral.

Clinical director for cancer services Partha Vaiude said the change would ensure patients "receive the best possible care".

'Reassurance'

As well as the 28-day "referral to diagnosis" target, Manx Care has introduced a 31-day "decision to treat to first treatment" target

That refers to the date the clinical team and the patient agree on the treatment plan to the date that treatment starts.

For those who receive a cancer diagnosis the 62-day treatment target starts on the date the referral has been received to the date cancer treatment starts.

Prof Vaiude said while the two week waiting target for urgent suspected cancer referrals had supported patients' "initial rapid review by specialist clinicians", it had not accounted for "the time taken for the patient to be advised of their final diagnosis, in most cases that cancer has been ruled out".

Moving to the "new faster diagnosis standard" took into account the "additional step in the patient journey".

That would move Manx Care's "proactive monitoring" to a diagnosis within 28 days would result in "reassurance and discharge, or cancer treatment", he said.