Macmillan calls on next government to rewrite story of cancer treatment delays
Responding to NHS England’s latest Cancer Waiting Times data, Mairaid McMahon, Policy Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support, says:
“The story consistently being told by waiting times data is that too many people are waiting too long to find out whether or not they have cancer, or for their cancer treatment to begin. Despite the tireless efforts of NHS staff, people with cancer are being failed by a health care system that is not being given the resources it needs to support them.
“One in two of us will get cancer in our lifetimes, and we know demand on the system is rising, but that’s why the next government must rewrite the story of cancer care.
“That means prioritising the development of a long-term strategy for the cancer care system in England so that diagnosis is made early, treatment starts quickly, and support is on hand to respond to the fact that cancer can affect every part of someone’s life– from healthcare and finances to work, housing and relationships.
“The harsh reality is that half of the UK population will be diagnosed with cancer over the course of their lifetime — and it is they who will judge the government they elect on what it did to ensure people with cancer can get the care they need, when they need it the most.”
Macmillan is calling on everyone to vote to revolutionise cancer care for people now and in the future. Make your voice heard and write to your candidates now: General Election 2024 (macmillan.org.uk)
Rosemary Head, 83, from Langdon Hills in Essex, had to wait 8 months to be diagnosed with lung cancer as a result of delayed appointments. She finally had targeted treatment on the tumour in January but is yet to be told the results, so has no idea if the treatment was effective. Her follow up appointment has now been pushed back to October.
Her daughter Jackie, 58, has been caring for her while also recovering from her own lung cancer diagnosis.
Jackie said: “We both feel constantly anxious. She’s waiting by the phone to hear what the status of her cancer is, not knowing if it is continuing to grow inside her and being led on by false promises of phone calls and cancelled appointments. She’s been promised a CT scan but hasn’t had one since treatment. The waiting is endless. I’m constantly trying to chase appointments for her on the phone. I can see the effect it has on my mother’s wellbeing. She’s said she would have given up because she’s had enough.
Jackie’s own lung cancer was dealt with quickly and she feels guilty that her mum has not had the same experience. She also lost her father to lung cancer in 2012.
She added: “The last time I took my mum to hospital, she was in a corridor for over 36 hours despite being a lung cancer patient. People like my mum are being left to fall through the cracks. She doesn’t want to ask for too much as she understands the NHS is so understaffed and they’re doing their best. But I don’t want to lose my mother. And I’m doing my best to keep her here with me.”
Key facts
- In April 2024 the 28-day target was missed again after being met for the previous two months, and there were over 70,000 people across England who waited more than four weeks to find out whether they had cancer or not following an urgent referral[i]
- All three national targets were missed in April and performance was worse than in the previous month, showing that NHS cancer services in England are still struggling under intense pressure[ii]
- While the number of people having treatment in April 2024 was higher than the same month in the previous two years, performance against the 31-day target was lower[iii]
- Separate official NHS data shows the number of people in England with a confirmed diagnosis of cancer and decision to treat who were still waiting to start treatment more than two months after their urgent referral increased to 3,000 or more throughout April 2024[iv]
- In April 2024, there were almost 6,000 times when people with a confirmed cancer diagnosis waited more than a month to have the treatment they needed[v]
- Recent Macmillan analysis shows 2023 was the worst year on record for cancer treatment delays in England[vi]
- Other new figures from Macmillan Cancer Support show that more than half of people having cancer treatment in the UK (59%) are worried about general pressures on the NHS affecting their chances of survival[vii]
- Over the past 10 years, the number of people with cancer waiting longer than a month to start treatment in England has increased at a rate 5 times greater than the total number of people starting treatment[viii]
References:
[i] NHS England. Cancer waiting times. CWT CRS — National Time Series Oct 2009 — April 2024 with Revisions. In April 2024, 70,302 people waited for more than four weeks following an urgent referral for suspected cancer to be told they either had cancer or for cancer to be definitively excluded. Performance against the target was 73.5% in April 2024, compared with 77.3% in March 2024
[ii] As per ref 1
[iii] As per ref 1. Performance against the 31-day target in April 2024 was 89.2%, compared with 89.7% in April 2023 and 92.6% in April 2024
[iv] NHS England. Management information on cancer.
[v] As per ref 1
[vi] Macmillan Cancer Support analysis of official statistics. Source: NHS England. Cancer waiting times. Based on a combination of analysis of from the following sources: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/ and https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancer-waiting-times/#cwt-statistics-up-to-september-2023. In 2023, over 30,000 people newly diagnosed with cancer in England waited more than a month to start treatment following the clinical decision to do so, the highest annual figure since current records began in 2009. Performance against the 31-day treatment target was worse in every month of 2023 than in the same month of 2022, and overall annual performance has fallen each successive year from 2017 onwards
[vii] Macmillan Cancer Support/YouGov survey of 2,099 adults in the UK who have had a cancer diagnosis, including 213 people going through treatment. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd January and 22nd January 2024. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of people living with cancer in the UK (aged 18+). Survey question was as follows: How worried, if at all, are you about the following? ‘General pressures on the NHS affecting my chances of survival’
[viii] As per ref 6. Refers to people starting their first treatment for a new cancer diagnosis only. The monthly average for the number of people who waited more than a month to start treatment following the clinical decision to do so has increased by 7.23 times when comparing 2023 with 2013 (2,628 people per month on average compared with 364 people per month on average). In comparison, the monthly average for the total number of people starting treatment has increased between the same time periods by 1.36 times (28,371 compared with 20,877, respectively). 7.23 divided by 1.36 = 5.3
