Skin cancer patients waiting close to a year to start treatment as Lib Dems call for scrapping of VAT on high-factor sunscreen

EMBARGO: 00.01 Monday 19th August

• Freedom of Information Act (FOI) requests from the Liberal Democrats show a 25% increase in patients on waiting lists for skin cancer treatment 

• Around 3,500 patients waiting longer than the 62-day standard to start treatment with some left waiting almost a year

• Liberal Democrat Health spokesperson Daisy Cooper MP calls the state of cancer services “shocking and tragic” and calls for VAT on high-factor sunscreen to be scrapped

The number of patients on NHS waiting lists for skin cancer treatment has risen by over a quarter in the past five years, FOI requests by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

Under the Liberal Democrat plans, high-factor protective sunscreens would be exempt from VAT to make them more affordable, along with a broader package to cut cancer treatment times including recruiting more cancer nurses.

The figures show a staggering 38,392 patients in England were on an NHS waiting list to start treatment for skin cancer in the year 2023/24, up 25.8% compared to 2019/20.

49 NHS hospital trusts replied to the FOIs asking for the number of patients on waiting lists for skin cancer treatment and a breakdown of how long patients waited to start treatment. One patient at Norwich and Norfolk NHS trust was left waiting a staggering 345 days or almost one year following an urgent referral for treatment. 

The data also shows that around 3,571 patients were left waiting for more than 62-days to start treatment after an urgent referral last year, up significantly from just 998 in 2019/20. This is despite an NHS target stating that cancer patients should begin treatment within 62-days of an urgent referral. 78 patients last year waited more than six-months to start their treatment, a near threefold increase on 2019/20.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the new government to introduce a guarantee that 100% of patients will be able to start cancer treatment within 62-days of an urgent referral. The party is also calling on ministers to recruit more cancer nurses so that every patient has a dedicated specialist supporting them throughout their treatment.

Liberal Democrat Health and Social Care spokesperson, Daisy Cooper MP said: 

“The state of cancer services in our country is shocking and tragic. We are seeing people up and down the country left waiting far too long for the care they need. 

“This recent hot weather should serve as a stark reminder that skin cancer services are in desperate need of support and the staggering increase in referrals shows we must do more to prevent people from getting skin cancer in the first place.

“That means making it affordable for people to protect themselves from skin cancer by cutting VAT on high-factor protective sunscreen and securing a public commitment from major retailers that they will pass on the financial benefit to consumers. 

“The Liberal Democrats have put forward a comprehensive plan to tackle the crisis in cancer care. We need to ensure that all patients start treatment as soon as possible and this government needs to make recruiting more cancer nurses a top priority.  

“The Conservatives have left our NHS in a disastrous state, now we need this new government to listen to people and deliver the services they deserve.” 

ENDS

Notes to Editors: 

Freedom of Information Act data here. 

Freedom of Information Act information requested here: 

• The number of patients who were on a waiting list at your Trust to start treatment following an urgent referral for any type of skin cancer for the each of the following financial years a) 2019/2020, b) 2020/21, c) 2021/22, d) 2022/2023 e) 2023/24

• The number of patients who were on a waiting list at your Trust following an urgent referral for any type of skin cancer who waited longer than i) 62-days, ii) six-months, iii) 12-months to start treatment for the each of the following financial years  a) 2019/2020, b) 2020/21, c) 2021/22, d) 2022/2023 e) 2023/24

• The longest a patient waited who was on a waiting list at your Trust following an urgent referral for any type of skin cancer to start treatment in the financial year 2023/24

Sunscreen in the UK is currently taxed at the standard rate of VAT (20%). Removing VAT on all sunscreen would save shoppers £67 million per year.

It is estimated the cost to the NHS of treating skin cancer will grow to £465 million by 2025. 

A survey for Melanoma Focus last year found that 50% of people think sunscreen is too expensive, with one in 10 saying they do not use it because it is too expensive. A report on the Melanoma Focus survey can be found here.