Fatal delays in cancer treatment are now ‘routine’ within the NHS, damning reports say

Hundreds of thousands of people are being forced to wait months before they can start vital cancer treatment, with deadly delays now ‘routine’ and even children affected by the disease being denied vital support, according to a series of damning reports.

Health chiefs, charities and doctors have raised the alarm over the state of cancer care in Britain as three separate studies painted a shocking picture of long waiting times and NHS staff severely hampered by a worsening staffing crisis and a chronic lack of equipment .

Prof. Pat Price, an oncologist and co-founder of the Catch Up With Cancer campaign, said the reports told “a deadly story of delays”, adding: “Cancer patients who don’t get their treatment on time are a disaster.”

The first report from Cancer Research UK found that 382,000 cancer patients in England had not been treated in time since 2015. The charity investigated how many patients had started treatment 62 days or more after being urgently referred for suspected cancer. The national NHS target – which requires at least 85% of people to start treatment within 62 days – was last met in December 2015.

The second report, by the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR), said delays in cancer care have become routine, with almost half of UK cancer centers experiencing weekly delays in starting treatment. The RCR also warned of a “staggering” 30% shortage of clinical radiologists and a 15% shortage of clinical oncologists – figures that the RCR says will worsen in coming years.

The third article, from four children’s cancer charities – Young Lives vs Cancer, Teenage Cancer Trust, Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust and Children’s Cancer and Leukemia Group – claims young patients are being let down by a lack of support after diagnosis.

According to the Cancer Research UK report, hospitals are struggling with too few employees and a lack of diagnostic equipment such as CT and MRI scanners.

Naser Turabi, the charity’s director of evidence, said the crisis was causing widespread delays in treatment, with a “negative impact” on patients. “One study estimated that a four-week delay in cancer surgery led to a 6-8% increased risk of death, and delays may also reduce available treatment options. There are also the psychological consequences: the wait causes great stress and anxiety for cancer patients and their loved ones.”

Michelle Mitchell, the charity’s chief executive, urged political parties campaigning for the general election to focus on how they would end the “unbearably long wait times”. “Any new government in Britain must make tackling cancer waiting times a top priority, and pledge to meet all cancer waiting lists by the end of the next parliament.”

The RCR report was based on surveys of UK cancer chiefs and radiology directors. It found that cancer centers with severe delays had almost doubled in a year, with 47% experiencing weekly delays in chemotherapy delivery, up from 28% in 2022.

The crisis was the same in radiotherapy, with weekly treatment delays almost doubling from 22% in 2022 to 43% in 2023. Nearly all radiology directors (97%) said labor shortages were causing backlogs and delays in their workplace.

RCR President, Dr Katharine Halliday, said: “Today’s reports reveal a stark reality: the radiology and oncology workforce crisis is putting the health of patients at risk… severe workforce shortages are significantly hampering our efforts.”

Meanwhile, the third report, which focused on the needs and wellbeing of children and young people with cancer and their families, identified huge gaps in support and areas requiring transformation.

Frank Fletcher, the CEO of the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, said: “For too long, many young people and their families have fallen through the gaps and missed the vital support they need when they need it during the most worrying and stressful time conceivable.”

The NHS said it was seeing and treating record numbers of people for cancer, with 30% more people treated last year than in 2015-2016.

The Conservatives said survival rates were improving but acknowledged there was “more to do”. The Liberal Democrats said delays had reached “the worst level ever”.