16,000 cancer patients wait four months for treatment, double NHS target

19 Apr 2024

EMBARGO: 00:01 Monday 22nd April

15,971 patients left waiting longer than four months to receive cancer treatment since 2020, double the NHS target time of two months
The number of patients who waited over 4 months to receive cancer treatment has more than doubled to 6,300 last year
One patient waited over two years to start cancer treatment after being urgently referred
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey warns that patients and staff are being “woefully let down”

The number of patients waiting longer than four months for cancer treatment has more than doubled since 2020, a Liberal Democrat FOI has revealed.

Almost 16,000 patients have waited longer than 124 days, or four months, to receive cancer treatment after receiving an urgent referral over the past four years. This is despite an NHS target for patients to receive cancer treatments within two months of an urgent referral.

Last year, there were 6,334 patients that waited over 124 days which has more than doubled since 2020 (2,922 patients). Data was received from 69 out of 137 acute health trusts in the UK, meaning the true number is likely to be much higher.

Over 1,100 cancer patients last year were left waiting more than 6 months to receive treatment, triple the NHS target time. Shockingly one patient at the Frimley NHS Foundation Trust only received treatment over two years (811 days) after first being urgently referred. Another patient at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Trust waited 505 days to receive treatment, whereas someone at the East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust waited 496 days.

The Liberal Democrats are proposing a two month legal guarantee for cancer patients from the date they receive an urgent referral as part of the party’s five year cancer plan.

Liberal Democrat Leader, Ed Davey MP said:

“Every single one of these figures is a tragedy. Long delays for treatment can have a devastating impact on cancer patients and their families, and in certain cases can even cost lives.

“Cancer patients are being woefully let down by years of neglect under this Conservative government with targets being routinely missed.

“The Liberal Democrats have outlined an ambitious plan to tackle delays and boost cancer survival rates. This includes a new legal guarantee for cancer patients to receive treatment within two months of an urgent referral.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Full FOI data can be viewed here

The Liberal Democrats’ plan for cancer includes:

Two-month cancer treatment guarantee. A new target for 100% of patients to start treatment for cancer within 62 days from urgent referral, with this right written into law. Currently this is only a government pledge, and 40% of patients wait longer than 62 days.
Boost access to radiotherapy. Replace ageing radiotherapy machines and increase their number, as well as widening access so that no one has to travel too far for treatment.
Halve the time for new treatments to reach patients. It takes an average of 11 months for a new medicine or medical technology to be approved and available to patients in England, compared to just 4 months in Germany. We will expand the MHRA’s capacity to speed up that process.
Pass a Cancer Survival Research Act. New legislation modelled on the US law signed by President Obama in 2013. It would require the Government to coordinate and ensure funding for research into the cancers with the lowest survival rates, including lung, liver, brain and pancreatic cancer.
Save the National Cancer Research Institute. The Government is presiding over the closure of the National Cancer Research Institute, which was established in 2001 and plays a vital role in coordinating cancer research, due to uncertainty over research funding. Its closure has been described by one oncology professor as like “turning off air traffic control and hoping the planes will be fine”.
Improve support for patients and their families. Recruit more cancer nurses so that every patient has a dedicated specialist supporting them throughout their treatment. Ensure patients and their families are given information about charities, patient support groups and financial support at every key stage: referral, diagnosis and starting treatment.