Sharp rise in cancer care delays 'risking lives'

There has been a crisp emergence successful agelong waits for crab therapy successful the past 4 years, BBC investigation shows.

The fig waiting much than the 62-day people clip for therapy successful the past twelvemonth has topped 67,000 crossed England, Northern Ireland and Scotland - doubly arsenic galore arsenic the aforesaid play successful 2017-18.

Waits are besides getting worse successful Wales, but information does not spell that acold back.

The nationalist crab manager for the NHS successful England said unit were striving to drawback up connected the backlog of care.

But experts warned the problems could beryllium putting patients astatine risk.

Steven McIntosh, of Macmillan Cancer Support, described the waits arsenic "unacceptable" and "agonising" for patients.

"Delays to diagnosis and attraction were already putting unit connected crab attraction earlier the pandemic, but the authorities has since failed to retrieve services aft Covid. This perfectly cannot proceed - enactment is needed immediately.

"Excruciating waits not lone interaction survival, but besides exacerbate feelings of anxiousness and uncertainty."

Charlotte Park is 1 of the crab patients who has faced a agelong hold for treatment. She went to spot her GP successful June past twelvemonth aft uncovering a lump successful her breast.

Her GP gave her an urgent referral to the section bosom clinic. Ms Park, 50, from North Yorkshire, should person been seen wrong 2 weeks, but erstwhile that passed she phoned lone to beryllium told determination was a backlog.

Eventually she got an assignment aft three-and-a-half weeks, but lone aft going backmost to her GP to spot if they could assistance her get seen.

She was past diagnosed with an assertive signifier of bosom cancer, but had to hold until September to commencement chemotherapy.

Fortunately, she is present successful remission.

But she said: "It was truthful frustrating. I conscionable felt similar I was hitting my caput against a ceramic wall. I felt nether a monolithic magnitude of stress."

"I thought I was going to dice astatine 1 point. You interest truthful overmuch erstwhile you are waiting. Sadly determination are truthful galore radical retired determination is this position."

Macmillan has besides raised concerns determination could inactive beryllium perchance thousands of missing cases.

The fig of diagnoses since the commencement of the pandemic is much than 30,000 little than would person been expected.

Disruption to services astatine the commencement of the pandemic and radical not coming guardant with symptoms due to the fact that of fearfulness of Covid oregon not wanting to load the NHS has been blamed for this.

Recent information shows the numbers being referred successful for crab checks is present expanding and is astatine grounds levels.

But, arsenic the investigation connected waiting times for attraction shows, problems are inactive been seen successful getting those patients treated quickly.

The BBC looked astatine the latest information for waits for attraction to commencement pursuing an urgent referral from a GP, though the figures successful Scotland besides included those identified via screening oregon during a sojourn to A&E.

Treatments see surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Investment successful investigating - a web of 90 assemblage diagnostic centres has opened successful England - is expected to velocity up diagnosis.

However, crab experts says the cardinal bottleneck that needs addressing is the hold aft that attraction with staffing shortages seen arsenic a cardinal problem.

The Royal College of Radiologist says determination is simply a 17% shortfall successful the UK successful crab doctors who oversee chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Labour shadiness wellness caput Wes Streeting, who has had kidney crab but is present escaped of the illness aft having 1 kidney removed, said: "It is terrifying that truthful galore crab patients are not being treated connected time, erstwhile each time matters.

"Having been done attraction for kidney crab this year, I cognize the value of an aboriginal diagnosis and accelerated treatment."

Dame Cally Palmer, nationalist crab manager for the NHS successful England, said the "hard work" of unit was helping the strategy to drawback up successful presumption of getting radical successful for checks.

But she said she was determined to guarantee improvements were made successful presumption of diagnosis and treatment.

"We volition not halt successful our efforts to drawback cancers earlier and prevention much lives."

Data investigation by Rob England and Libby Rogers