Severe treatment delays and an ongoing workforce crisis have created a “toxic cocktail” in cancer care, two major reports published today reveal. More than 380,000 cancer patients have not been treated on time since 2015, according to data analysed by Cancer Research UK. The charity looked at the number of patients starting treatment for their condition in England more than 62 days after being urgently referred for suspected cancer.
This key NHS target – where 85 per cent of people start treatment for their cancer within 62 days – was last met in December 2015. It comes as the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) said delays in cancer care are becoming “routine”, with nearly half of cancer centres experiencing weekly delays to giving people treatment. The college also pointed to a “staggering” 30 per cent shortfall in clinical radiologists and a 15 per cent shortfall in clinical oncologists – figures which are projected to get worse in the next few years.
The RCR reports were based on 100 per cent response rate surveys of cancer centre heads and clinical directors of radiology departments in the UK. The data showed the number of cancer centres experiencing severe delays has almost doubled in a year, with 47 per cent facing weekly delays in administering treatments such as chemotherapy, up from 28 per cent the previous year. The situation is similar for radiotherapy, with weekly treatment delays nearly doubling from 22 per cent in 2022 to 43 per cent in 2023.
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