‘Still lots to do’ to cut cancer waiting times

A LEADING charity has welcomed an improvement in cancer treatment waiting times, but warns that a third of cancer patients are still facing worrying delays in their care.

The latest cancer treatment times data published by the Welsh Government show that more than 550 people faced delays in their treatment in March 2021 alone.

Macmillan said that while this was a marked improvement on the previous month, it demonstrated just how far Wales’ cancer services had to go in recovering from the pressures of the coronavirus pandemic.

It also warned that despite the improvement in the number of cancer treatments taking place in March, there had been around 1,430 fewer people starting their first definitive treatment for cancer since the pandemic began.

Jon Antoniazzi, policy manager for Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, said: “We really do have to acknowledge this improvement, with hard-working NHS staff across every health board in Wales achieving an improved performance against Wales’ nationallyset cancer treatment targets.

“We are still seeing far fewer people coming through the system, and our worry is that this will mean more people receiving a later diagnosis. We have seen details from the Welsh Government on how the initial £100m to aid the NHS in its recovery from this pandemic will be allocated.

“The funding announcement is a welcome first step in the right direction, but we will need to see significantly more in the future.”

If anyone is worried and needs advice, information or a chat you can call Macmillan for free on 0808 808 0000.