Labour warns of crisis in cancer care as figures reveal patients wait over a year for treatment

Labour is today warning of a crisis in cancer care as new research shows patients waiting as long as 541 days for treatment.

Labour’s new study is based on FOI data from 95 English NHS Trust and shows that the longest waits for cancer treatment have soared since 2010.

• ·         The longest one patient waited for treatment following a GP referral in 2017 was 541 days against a target of 62 days.
• ·         66% of trusts who replied (58 of 88) had at least one patient waiting over six months and 69% (60 of 88) had a worse longest wait than in 2010.
• ·         The “average longest” wait reported by each trust rose to 213 days – 16 days higher than in 2010.
• ·         Every trust but two who replied to the survey said that at least one patient had waited over 62 days for treatment.

Performance against the other two key cancer targets has also tumbled since 2010:

• ·         One patient waited 254 days for treatment from a decision to treat, against a target of 31 days. 60% of trusts has longer longest waits in 2017 than in 2010, and the “average longest” rose to 90 days – three higher than 2010.

• ·         And one patient waited 377 days for a consultant appointment following a GP referral, against a target of 14 days. 66% of trusts has longer longest waits in 2017 than in 2010, and the “average longest” rose to 66 days – 8 higher than 2010.

Jonathan Ashworth MP, Labour’s Shadow Health Secretary, said: 

“The number of people needing cancer treatment has risen sharply in the past ten years and the Government has simply failed to increase availability of services at the rate required.

“The truth is that the brilliant efforts of NHS staff around the country to deliver the best for their patients are being hampered by tight NHS budgets. Years of underfunding and abject failure to invest in the frontline doctors and nurses we need means Theresa May is letting down cancer patients.

“Now we know the astonishing truth that some patients are waiting a year or more just to get treatment. It’s simply not good enough.

“With cancer targets repeatedly missed and with the ongoing scandal in breast screening it adds to the sense that the Government is losing control of cancer care in this country.

“For Labour it will be a priority to make sure cancer services are properly resourced and properly staffed to provide the best possible care to all cancer patients, no matter what part of the country they live in.”

Ends

Notes to editors

• ·         Labour carried out a FOI request of the longest time taken for treatment for cancer in 2010 and 2017 and received responses from 95 of England’s 172 acute and community health trusts.

• ·         Full results were as follows:

LONGEST WAITS AGAINST 62 DAY TREATMENT TARGET