Scope

All cancer patients should be tracked from point of suspicion to treatment within 62 days regardless of their entry point onto the pathway. The Suspected Cancer Pathway will not include adjustments – the real wait will be reported (currently pathways can be adjusted when a patient takes a holiday, is unable to attend their appointment or needs stabilising treatment. These will not be included in the reporting so the waits reported will reflect the real wait that the patient experienced).

Health boards are required to enter all patients suspected of having a new primary cancer onto the SCP. This includes patients who have had a previous cancer and are now suspected of having a different primary (a new) cancer. This also includes all Squamous Cell Skin Cancer (SCC). For SCP, the clock start point for all patients is the point of suspicion. The main entry points onto the pathway are defined in the “single suspected cancer pathway definitions” document.

Health boards are required to report on all patients referred into services they provide following a suspicion of cancer for SCP, as per previous reporting requirements for nUSC/USC defined in Welsh Health Circular 2004 (067)1 and subsequent guidance. Health boards are required to report on active and closed pathways. All patients who receive their first definitive treatment within Wales should be included in these figures. Patients who are referred by secondary care for treatment outside of NHS Wales will be included in the SCP reporting, however, those that enter directly or are referred from primary care directly to services outside of Wales will not.