500+ cancer patients waiting more than two months to start treatment

MORE THAN 500 patients in Reading are waiting more than two months to start urgent cancer treatment.

The figure comes as it was revealed the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust has missed referral targets for the past four years.

Research by the Liberal Democrats suggests 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 2019.

Nationally, more than 66,000 patients were forced to wait more than two months for their first treatment in 2022 with fears those figures will increase.

The party says these new figures “horrifying”, with long waits to see GPs compounding the problem.

It is calling on the Government to hire more staff, particularly specialist cancer nurses and 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.

They are also demanding patients have the right to see a GP within seven days or within 24 hours if they urgently need to.

Tilehurst Liberal Democrat councillor Anne Thompson, said: “The Government has been driving our local health services into the ground and taking patients for granted for years, Reading deserves better.

“Delays to cancer diagnoses and treatments are incredibly distressing for those with cancer and those who fear they may have it.

“This Conservative Government has its head in the sand over staff shortages and no real plan to fix it.

“They must get a handle on this crisis so cancer patients get the urgent care they need to give them the best chance of survival and recovery.”

Responding to the figures, a spokesperson for the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust said: “Ensuring cancer patients are seen, diagnosed and treated within the 62-day target is a key priority for the Trust.

“Over the last 12-months we have worked hard to bring waiting times down by adding additional mobile scanners used for diagnosis at our Royal Berkshire Hospital, and West Berkshire Community Hospital.

“In the coming nine to 18 months we will also have an extra CT scanner at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, extra MRI scanners at West Berkshire Community Hospital, and an additional endoscopy room at the Royal Berkshire Hospital to diagnose bowel cancers.

“The performance against the 62-day cancer access target at the Trust is better than the national average, however we know there is more for us to do, and we are working to bring the wait times down further.”