The Health Board has worked well to manage increasing service demand. Performance against cancer waiting time targets has improved but is still below the 75% target. In March 2026, performance was around 62%. There is wide variation in timeliness performance between tumour pathways, and some patients wait longer than others.

The Health Board is taking steps to manage rising demand and pressure. Actions include redesigning care pathways, increasing diagnostic capacity, and improving staffing. However, many actions are reactive, not well tracked, and not fully evaluated. As a result, they have not yet delivered sustainable performance improvements. 

Leadership and governance provide clear oversight and escalation routes, but their impact is limited. There are gaps in coordination, inconsistent reporting, and limited use of data to support decision-making and Board scrutiny. This weakens accountability and reduces confidence that changes are improving patient outcomes. 

The Health Board understands the challenges it faces. However, it does not have a single clear, long-term, joined-up strategy or costed improvement plan for cancer services. Financial pressures, workforce and capacity gaps, and limited use of outcomes and equity data reduce confidence in its ability to deliver timely, fair, and sustainable improvements.