More than 100,000 cancer patients may have been harmed by treatment and diagnosis delays
More than 100,000 cancer patients may have been harmed over the past decade by delays in treatment and diagnosis, a damning study suggests.
Macmillan Cancer Support said its analysis of NHS figures shows 180,000 people have been forced to wait longer than they should for care since 2014.
Many will have seen their cancer progress while waiting, leaving some with fewer treatment options and others with a disease that has become incurable.
The charity blamed repeated government failures for endangering ‘tens of thousands of lives’ in the UK and described the figure as ‘shameful’.
Doctors and nurses are being ‘stretched to the limit’ due to shortages of staff and scanners, Macmillan added, noting that some health professionals have described the impact on patients as ‘inhumane’.
Macmillan Cancer Support said analysis of NHS figures shows 180,000 people have been waiting longer than they should for care since 2014
It said performance against government-set waiting times for cancer in 2022 fell to the worst ever in all four UK countries.
Meanwhile, a survey of nearly 2,500 adults in the UK who had been diagnosed with cancer in the past decade found that 556 had experienced a delay in treatment and diagnosis.
Of these, 23 percent said the delay had made their cancer worse, made their cancer “incurable,” or resulted in them having “fewer treatment options.”
This equates to at least 100,000 people in the UK, Macmillan said.
Gemma Peters, CEO of Macmillan Cancer Support, who commissioned the YouGov survey, said: ‘Cancer care is in crisis after years of government failure.
“Any person who has had a worse outcome from their cancer diagnosis due to delays will know the devastating impact waiting has had on their life, from the burden of fear that their cancer is growing, and for many the devastating news that their cancer is now incurable.
“This is absolutely unacceptable and completely avoidable.
“Governments can change things if they act now – immediate action will begin to address the problems people are currently facing, and governments must implement long-term solutions for everyone affected by cancer in the years to come.
That’s why Macmillan is launching our new ‘What Are We Waiting For?’ campaign, calling on all four UK governments to commit to providing the NHS with the funding and support it needs to ensure that everyone, everywhere, receives the potentially life-saving cancer care they so desperately need, on time.”
The charity said it has been contacted by NHS cancer care workers who have expressed their dismay at not having the staff or resources they need to provide quality care as quickly as needed.
Naman Julka-Anderson, a therapeutic radiographer in advanced practice and a paramedical clinical consultant for Macmillan Cancer Support, said: ‘I’ve had patients arrive for their radical chemotherapy appointment who wait three hours to be told that due to staff shortages, we can’t get their not deliver treatment today; it’s inhumane.
“Patients are really struggling with having to constantly push for their own treatment, support and just about anything else they need because of the government’s lack of action.”
A lung cancer patient said she shouldn’t “call and beg for appointments.”
Jules Fielder, 39, from Hastings, told the charity: ‘The pressure on the NHS is already visible and it is heartbreaking.
‘Just last week I got a call the day before my quarterly ultrasound to say that it had already been cancelled.
‘I trust my scans; they are my lifeline. I shouldn’t be calling my team to beg for my appointments.
“I live an elevated life where I’m so tense about my appointments being canceled and so scared my phone is going to ring with another cancellation.
‘It affects everyone around me; my family, my friends, my son, they all suffer.
“I have the disease in my body, but my husband and my son are on the same journey with me.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: ‘Cancer remains a national priority for the NHS and the Scottish Government. That’s why last week we published a new 10-year strategy aimed at improving cancer survival and providing fair access to treatment.’
A spokesperson for the Department of Health in Northern Ireland said: ‘The Cancer Strategy 2022-2032 sets the direction of travel for cancer services for the next 10 years with a vision to ensure that everyone in Northern Ireland has fair and timely access to the most effective, evidence-based referral, diagnosis, treatment, support and person-centred cancer care.’
A spokesperson for the Welsh Government said: ‘We are investing heavily in cancer services to train additional staff, build new facilities, promote early detection and provide rapid access to quality cancer care to ensure people get the right treatment as quickly as possible. get treatment.”