Cancer patients’ lives are being put at risk by a huge rise in delays for vital treatment, figures show.
The number waiting more than two months after an urgent referral has soared by 20 per cent since the Coalition took over.
More
than 50,000 people have faced such long waits for chemotherapy,
radiotherapy and surgery since the 2010 election. A quarter of a
millions have waited a month or more.
NHS guidelines say no cancer patient should wait longer than two months.
The number waiting too long for treatment is
increasing year on year, figures show, with 51,203 people forced to wait
more than two months in all since 2010
Charities said last night that delays deny patients the best chance of recovery, and are contributing to the UK’s appalling survival rates.
Mike Hobday, of Macmillan Cancer Support, said: ‘This increase in referral delays is extremely disappointing. We know that getting treatment early gives cancer patients the best chance of survival.’
Campaigners blamed short-staffing and a lack of MRI machines for the problems.
The number waiting too long for treatment is increasing year on year, figures show, with 51,203 people forced to wait more than two months in all since 2010. In 2010-11, 13,610 waited more than two months for treatment after an urgent referral by a GP.
That rose to 15,041 in 2012-13. For the first half of 2013-14, the total was 8,159.
By the end of 2013/14, the figures suggest, the number will have risen by around 19.8 per cent over the period.
Meanwhile, 273,027 patients have waited more than a month for treatment, which equates to a rise of 22.4 per cent from 2010-11 to 2013-14.
In 2010-11, 13,610 waited more than two months for treatment after an urgent referral by a GP
Mr Hobday said failure to treat quickly allows cancer to develop and upsets families.
He added: ‘It is vital that the NHS in England provides all cancer patients with the treatment they need as soon as they need it.’
The revelations are the latest NHS waiting times scandal. Waits at A&E departments are at record levels, with some patients spending six hours in ambulances outside hospitals because of staff shortages.
Late last year it emerged that British cancer survival rates are no better than in many Eastern European countries.
Women with cervical cancer in the UK are less likely to be alive after five years than those in Slovenia and the Czech Republic, the OECD found.
Figures for breast and bowel cancer are among the worst of all industrialised nations, and campaigners warned last week that the situation is even worse for older people.
GPs are often blamed for not spotting cancer early – but the new statistics, released after a parliamentary question, show many patients face unacceptable delays even after referral.
Labour blamed the Coalition for scrapping a planned target for every patient to have urgent tests within two weeks.
Andy Burnham, Labour’s health spokesman, said: ‘After the election, the Tory-led Government scrapped these plans. This year, more suspected cancer patients are waiting longer for life-saving tests.’
Professor Karol Sikora, former head of the World Health Organisation’s cancer programme, said: ‘Britain is still falling behind in the league tables and this is almost certainly down to failures in early diagnosis and treatment.’
He said the NHS has a ‘huge capacity problem’ thanks to an aging population. Equipment such as MRI machines is not free at short notice, and radiotherapy and chemotherapy are under great pressure, he said.
‘Consultants don’t have enough time, and there are problems with radiotherapists and other staff. Some places are world class, but others aren’t,’ he added.
Last night a spokesman for NHS England admitted more needed to be done to meet its key two-month waiting target.
‘Being diagnosed with cancer is life-changing and it is vital that patients are able to access treatment quickly and easily,’ she said.
‘We know there is local variation and there is more work to be done to make sure our cancer services are world class.’
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