Long waits for cancer care are becoming routine across the UK with nearly half of all specialist cancer centres experiencing delays most weeks, the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) has said. The college has warned of an “impending crisis” in the cancer workforce, with a “staggering” 30% shortfall in radiologists and 15% shortfall in clinical oncologists. The Conservative Party said it would meet current targets for cancer care in England by the end of the next parliament, if re-elected.
Labour has said it will double the number of scanners to improve early detection, while the Liberal Democrats said they would introduce a legal guarantee for all patients to start treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral in England. The RCR report was based on responses from senior managers at 60 specialist cancer centres in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The survey, carried out in November 2023, found the number of centres experiencing severe delays had almost doubled in a year.
Managers at 47% of sites said patients needing chemotherapy and other cancer drugs were facing delays “most weeks or every week”, up from reports of delays at 28% of sites the previous year. Centres reporting weekly delays to radiotherapy also nearly doubled, from 22% in 2022 to 43% in 2023. Almost all clinical directors surveyed said workforce shortages were causing backlogs.
“We simply do not have enough doctors to manage the increasing number of patients safely, and this probl.
