Cancer waiting times fall short of targets
WALES continues to fall far short of meeting cancer treatment waiting times targets ahead of the NHS facing huge winter and cost of living pressures, a cancer charity has warned.
Macmillan said while it welcomes an improvement in NHS performance during September thanks to the efforts of hardworking NHS staff, it has stressed that performance remains at its second lowest point since current data collections began.
According to Welsh Government statistics, in September only 53.3% of people with cancer were treated within the 62-day target, leaving almost one in two cancer patients in Wales to face delays in the lifesaving treatment they need.
It means that in one month alone, 774 people with cancer and their loved ones were left to face heart-breaking delays, and the anxiety that their condition could worsen while they wait for their treatment to begin.
Macmillan also highlighted the significant variation that exists for different cancer types, with waiting times data for head and neck (29.3%) and gynaecological (32.8%) cancers showing less than a third of people being treated on time.
The warning comes at a time when frontline NHS staff are working to treat more cancer patients than ever before, with the numbers of people requiring treatment consistently being well above historic levels.
The charity claims hard-working staff desperately need support, especially as Wales is yet to enter a winter period that many involved in cancer care expect to be one of the most challenging in recent history.
Richard Pugh, head of partnerships for Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, said: “This latest data clearly shows the serious challenges that Wales’ NHS workforce will face as we head into what is set to be a very difficult winter period indeed.
“NHS staff desperately need help, and we fully support recent calls for the Welsh Government to bring forward a long-awaited national workforce plan for health and social care.
“The right funding and the right cancer care system needs to be put in place to resolve the current crisis, and to support NHS staff to deliver lifesaving cancer treatment on time for everyone who needs it in Wales.
“Macmillan continues to do everything it can to help and we are here for anyone with cancer and their loved ones. For advice, information or a chat, you can call us free on 0808 808 0000 or visit macmillan.org.uk.”