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Welsh Government
Data Provider: Welsh Government Experimental Statistics Suspected cancer pathway (closed pathways): The number of pathways where the patient started their first definitive treatment and those informed they do not have cancer by local health board, tumour site, age group, sex, measure and month

Experimental Statistics: Under the suspected cancer pathway, a pathway starts at the point of suspicion (for example when a GP makes a referral) and this is when the recorded waiting time starts. The pathway is closed, and their waiting time ends, when the patient starts their first definitive treatment, is downgraded (told they do not have cancer), chooses not to have treatment or if the patient dies. This data collection is based on closed pathway data (pathways that have started their first definitive treatment) and measures activity through the number of pathways being treated or being told by a specialist that they do not have cancer, rather than the number of patients entering the pathway.

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[Collapse]Tumour site[Filtered]
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Click here to sortThe number of patients starting their first definitive treatment in the monthClick here to sortThe number of patients informed they do not have cancerClick here to sortThe number of patients starting their first definitive treatment in the month within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer (no suspensions)Click here to sortThe percentage of patients starting their first definitive treatment in the month within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer (no suspensions)
[Collapse]Wales1,81214,0741,02556.6
Wales[Collapse]Betsi CadwaladrW110000234573,80228061.3
[Collapse]PowysW11000024.The data item is not applicable28.The data item is not applicable.The data item is not applicable
[Collapse]Hywel DdaW110000252591,45612648.6
[Collapse]Aneurin BevanW110000283473,16320960.2
[Collapse]Cardiff & ValeW110000292151,50014165.6
[Collapse]Cwm Taf MorgannwgW110000273362,39817251.2
[Collapse]Swansea BayW110000261981,7279749.0

Metadata

Keywords

Cancer; Suspected Cancer Pathway

Title

Suspected cancer pathway (closed pathways): The number of pathways where the patient was: downgraded, started their first definitive treatment and those that started first definitive treatment within 62 days of first being suspected of cancer by local health board, tumour site, age group, sex, measure and month

Last update

21/09/2023 21/09/2023

Next update

19/10/2023

Publishing organisation

Welsh Government

Source 1

Suspected Cancer Pathway, Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) and National Data Resource (NDR)

Contact email

stats.healthinfo@gov.wales

Designation

Experimental statistics

Lowest level of geographical disaggregation

Local health boards

Geographical coverage

Local health boards

Languages covered

English and Welsh

Data licensing

You may use and re-use this data free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government License - see http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence

General description

Under the suspected cancer pathway, a pathway starts at the point of suspicion (for example when a GP makes a referral) and this is when the recorded waiting time starts. The pathway is closed, and their waiting time ends, when the patient starts their first definitive treatment, is downgraded (told they do not have cancer), chooses not to have treatment or if the patient dies. This data collection is based on closed pathway data (pathways that have started their first definitive treatment) and measures activity through the number of pathways being treated or being told by a specialist that they do not have cancer, rather than the number of patients entering the pathway.

A number of wider measures from the suspected cancer pathway have been published, these provide more context to the activity and performance of cancer services in Wales. It is planned that a more robust data collection of open pathway data will happen later in 2021.

Data collection and calculation

Please find this information in the related statistical release, as per the given weblink.

Frequency of publication

Monthly

Data reference periods

December 2020 onwards

Revisions information

Data for December 2020 has been revised following an amendment to the data extraction methodology.

Data is subject to revision.

Further revisions have been made to data for July, August and September 2021. These changes have a minor impact on the Wales level figures but impact specifically on Betsi Cadwallder and Cardiff and Vale health boards. This is due to an incorrect code being executed to extract the data.

Statistical quality

Data on age and sex is subject to fewer quality checks and caution is advised when interpreting it.

Please find this information in the related statistical release, as per the given weblink.

Note that data included in this statistical release covers a time period during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected both how some NHS services have been offered and people's choices regarding health services. See the latest release for more information.