More than 300,000 cancer patients face long treatment delays over the next five years unless the Government drives up NHS performance, a charity warned last night.
Cancer Research UK’s projections suggest there will be 17.2 million urgent suspected cancer referrals in England over the next five years.
The Government’s target states that 85 per cent of these should be treated within 62 days of an urgent referral – but that has not been met since 2015.
In the first six months of this year, 65.9 per cent of cancer patients were treated within the target period in England, meaning more than 30,000 did not start treatment on time.
Cancer Research UK projects that by 2029 more than 301,000 people will not have been treated on time, while the number of urgent suspected cancer referrals will rise by a fifth, from 3.1 million in 2023 to about 3.75 million.
It said the NHS was seeing more patients than ever, but an ageing and growing population had led to record numbers of cancer cases. Patients are also waiting too long to be diagnosed in the first place, not least because of a lack of staff and diagnostic equipment.
The analysis comes the week after a major report on the NHS by surgeon and former minister Lord Darzi said cancer care in England still lagged behind other countries and death rates were higher.
His study found there had been ‘no progress’ in diagnosing cancer at the earliest stages one and two between 2013 and 2021.
However, more recent figures suggest some improvement.
Cancer Research UK said there was a need for a long-term cancer strategy if the Government was to meet its pledges on hitting targets. Chief executive Michelle Mitchell added: ‘Our Health Service does not have the required resources to cope with record numbers of people being diagnosed with cancer.
‘Unless action is taken, things could be even worse in five years.
‘We need to see long-term planning that provides the NHS with the equipment and staff it needs.’
Claire Rowney, chief executive of the charity Breast Cancer Now, said: ‘These bleak figures emphasise a devastating ‘new normal’ of long waits for people to get a diagnosis and start treatment that gives them the best chance of survival.’
