Tens of thousands of cancer patients left waiting months to start treatment after urgent referral, figures show

Tens of thousands of cancer patients were left waiting months to start treatment last year, despite being urgently referred by their GP, NHS data reveals.

Cancer waiting time figures up to the end of 2018 were released on Thursday and paint a worrying picture of how NHS pressures are creating delays which could mean worse outcomes for patients.

Analysis of the 2018 figures by Macmillan Cancer Support shows that 31,000 people waited more than two months to start treatment after being referred by their GP.

While the NHS target stipulates 85 per cent of patients should start treatment in 62 days, 13,000 people waited longer than three months.

Directions to doctors to refer earlier, coupled with major shortages of radiologists and other diagnostic specialists, have created a bottle neck getting into hospitals. And more than 160,000 people were left waiting more than the recommended two weeks for their first appointment with a cancer specialist after an urgent referral.

This is a rise of 17 per cent on the delays in 2017, meaning 55,000 more patients left in the dark about whether their condition is getting worse.

Hannah Burnett, 21, from Bradford, was studying at university in April 2018 when she began to notice chest pains.

After several GP visits, her doctor referred her in July for an urgent consultation with a haematologist about a suspected lymphoma, a blood cancer.

She was meant to be seen within two weeks, but it took until September to get her appointment.

“I was just left stressing,” she told The Independent. “Two weeks is long enough for something like that, never mind two months.”

Even then it was another three months before she had her diagnosis confirmed and she began chemotherapy in December.

Since being diagnosed in November, Ms Burnett said her Macmillan nurse has taken on the role of explaining her treatment and practicalities like getting a wig made and her options for starting a family in future.

But she said the communication and support from her doctors and the NHS until that point has left her feeling let down.

“I’m just trying to get through treatment now, then I can come to terms with what happened last year and why it was so ridiculously bad getting to the bottom of it,” Ms Burnett said.

“I understand the cuts are having a big effect, but at the end of the day it’s people’s lives,” she added. “I feel let down and really quite disappointed. I understand the NHS is free, but there’s only so grateful you can be when you’ve been through a year like I’ve been through.”

Dr Moira Fraser-Pearce, director of policy at Macmillan, said while there are more people being urgently referred and treated overall, and this is good news, there are also being left feeling anxious and depressed by long waits.

“We cannot ignore that 2018 saw more cancer waiting time targets being missed, more often,” she said.

“We need to see a serious strategy from our government to grow and sustain our NHS workforce, so that everyone diagnosed can feel confident they will receive the right treatment within the right timeframe.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said numbers being urgently referred for suspected cancers had risen by a million in the past decade and it was working on a staffing plan to cope with the growth.

“Improving cancer care and reducing waits is a priority for the NHS, and we unveiled a series of improvements as part of our Long Term Plan earlier this year,” they said.

“From April, any patient with suspected cancer will receive a diagnosis or the all clear within 28 days, and the NHS in England has confirmed £200m to fund new ways to rapidly detect and treat cancer.”