Delay in starting treatment for hundreds of cancer patients

AN ESTIMATED 1,200 cancer patients in Wales didn’t start their treatment on time in the past financial year, figures have revealed.

Cancer charity Macmillan claims such delays cause “unimaginable stress and anxiety” for patients and can have a direct impact on their long-term health.

According to the latest cancer waiting times report, around 100 people in Wales did not start their cancer treatment on time every month between 2017 and 2018. The report shows only 87.2% of patients started “urgent” treatment within the target time of 62 days during 2017-18 – well below the 95% target set by Welsh Government.

Wales is set to become the first UK nation to introduce a new single waiting time target – a development designed to offer quicker diagnosis and treatment to patients.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “In the past 12 months. 17,033 patients started definitive treatment for cancer, that’s 8.6% (1,347) more than five years ago. And 15,730 patients started treatment within the target times, that’s 8.1% (1,180) more than five years ago.”