The appalling state of the cancer waiting lists

1229 people left waiting two months to start cancer treatment

With the Government's appalling record in health care it is no surprise that new research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that 1229 patients of the University Hospitals of Derby & Burton were stuck waiting for more than two months before receiving treatment.
These figures meant, in 2022, that 48 % had to wait more than two months for treatment to start. The figure for the whole of England is a poor 38%

In fact the Trust has not hit the target of 85% of patients receiving a first treatment for cancer within 62 days of an urgent GP referral since before 2015.

Nationally, more than 66,000 patients were forced to wait more than two months for their first treatment last year after a referral.

Ahead of the local elections, Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to hire more staff, especially specialist cancer nurses. The party is also calling for a comprehensive strategy to ensure all those who have been left behind are offered timely cancer diagnosis and treatment and that targets be met as soon as possible.

Looming NHS strikes, about which the Government seems to have its head mostly in the sand will certainly, if the staff are forced to cease work, make the delays worse.