1229 people in Derby and Burton Hospitals left waiting two months or more to start cancer treatment

LC
7 Mar 2023
Lucy Care at the Royal Derby Hospital

1229 people in Derby and Burton Hospitals left waiting two months or more to start cancer treatment

New research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that 1229 people were stuck waiting for more than two months before receiving treatment at Derby and Burton Hospitals


These figures meant, in 2022, at Derby and Burton Hospitals, 48% had to wait more than two months for treatment to start.

Derby and Burton hospitals have 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.

Liberal Democrats in Derby have called these new figures "horrifying".

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.

The Government 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.

Commenting on cancer waiting times in Derby and Burton hospitals, Liberal Democrat Cllr Lucy Care, said:

"The Government has been driving our local health services into the ground and taking patients for granted for years, Derby and the area served by our hospital 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."


Notes :

  1. Data analysed by the House of Commons Library
  2. Original Source: NHS England - Cancer Waiting Times
  3. National data first reported in the Observer

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