Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs Almost a third of NHS patients are still waiting too long for treatment to start – as one retired doctor told how he paid for his £1,000 biopsy from his own pocketAllan Dodds, 81, had to pay nearly £1,000 for a private biopsy on a skin cancerCancer patients still wait too long for care – with one revealing he was told it would take nine months for him to get treatment. Allan Dodds told how he paid nearly £1,000 for a private biopsy on a skin cancer because of the long NHS waits. The 81-year-old retired doctor, who had a basal cell carcinoma on his nose, said: “It is a cancer, even if it’s a less aggressive cancer, and I didn’t want it hanging around.” Allan, of Nottingham, revealed his private clinic referred him to the NHS for radiotherapy which he started within three weeks. A Survation poll for 38 Degrees found 17% of people had paid for private healthcare, for themselves or a dependent within the last year, with many going into debt.
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Alan said he ‘didn’t want it hanging around’
Cancer care in crisis There are fears long waiting times could needlessly cost more lives unless the problem is urgently tackled by No10. New data for NHS England shows almost a third of cancer patients are waiting longer than the 62 days standard to start treatment. Retired NHS consultant Allan Dodds, 81, told how he faced a nine-month wait for a biopsy of a suspected skin cancer on his nose so he went private. He said: “I think, ‘What about the people who can’t afford it?’ If you’d been left, as I would have been, for nine months with cancer on your face, you wouldn’t be able to sleep at night, you would be in a state of panic for weeks.” Oncologist and founder of the Catch Up With Cancer campaign Professor Pat Price added: “The depressing drumbeat of missed targets continues as just under a third of people face treatment delays. I fear there is a lack of ambition for cancer patients. “Without a strategy to improve things, we will continue to see lives lost needlessly.” Macmillan Cancer Support manager Mairaid McMahon said: “Cancer can impact people’s lives in many ways, from finance to emotional wellbeing, so having to also face an excruciating wait just to start treatment is an added burden that no one should have to bear.” Data shows 68.7% of patients in England began treatment within 62 days of an urgent suspected cancer referral in March. This was up from 63.9% in February. The NHS standard is that at least 85% of patients should start treatment within this time. Average performance against the 62-day target was worse in 2023/24 than in the previous year. Separate NHS data shows the number of people with a diagnosis and decision to treat who were still waiting to start it more than two months later remained around 2,900 through March. But the health service has met its target to diagnose or rule out cancer within 28 days of referral in at least 75% of patients for two months in a row. Cancer Research UK’s chief executive Michelle Mitchell said: “While it’s promising that more people are finding out if they have cancer or not faster, too many patients are still waiting too long to begin cancer treatment. The last time all cancer wait targets were met in England was in 2015.” NHS England Medical Director Professor Sir Stephen Powis, said: “Today’s figures show just how hard NHS staff are working to deliver the best possible care for patients, despite ongoing significant demand and a difficult recovery journey.” Health Secretary Victoria Atkins added: “We’ve delivered on our target of ensuring over 75% of patients tested for cancer receive a diagnosis or all clear within 28 days of referral.” Data for March shows the overall NHS waiting list backlog stayed at 7.5 million appointments. 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