New NHS England figures have shown that NHS staff saw a record number of people in March, who were referred for urgent cancer checks.

More than 230,000 people were checked in March with suspected cancer as NHS services began to bounce back after the peak of the winter coronavirus wave.

The latest statistics also confirm that for every coronavirus patient cared for by the NHS between January and March 2021, 18 other patients got treatment for non-coronavirus conditions, while NHS staff carried out 300,000 more diagnostic tests in March than in February.

Dame Cally Palmer, NHS Cancer Director said: “From COVID friendly cancer drugs to fast tracking specialist radiotherapy for patients, NHS staff have gone to great lengths to ensure cancer treatment could continue safely throughout the pandemic.

“It is welcome news that more people than ever before came forward for potentially life-saving checks in March, with the vast majority being seen very quickly. We are now going even further and faster in our ambitions to catch more cancers at an earlier stage so we can save more lives. And so our message has always been the same – please come forward if you have a worrying sign or symptom.”