This report details the work of the NHS Cancer Programme in the first six months of 2021 (covering Quarter 4, 2020/21: January – March 2021, and Quarter 1 2021/22: April – June 2021). It is part of an ongoing series of reports published by the NHS Cancer Programme.

Delivering our Long Term Plan commitments and completing the job of recovery from the impact of the pandemic requires cancers being diagnosed faster and earlier, improving quality of life and experience of care, harnessing innovation and reducing regional variation and inequalities. This report details the work of the NHS Cancer Programme over the past six months in these areas.

This timeframe included the largest peak in COVID hospitalisations (during which disruption to cancer services was significantly lower than the initial peak in spring 2020), followed by spring months which saw positive shifts in recovery with referrals at record high levels and treatment volumes returning to pre-pandemic levels.

We aim for this series of reports to be a detailed and transparent account of the key work of the Cancer Programme. As with all our work, feedback is always welcomed.

View and download a PDF version of this report