511 people in Reading left waiting two months to start cancer treatment

New research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that 511 people were stuck waiting for more than two months before receiving treatment at the Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust after receiving urgent cancer referrals from their GPs.

These figures meant, in 2022, 34% of patients had to wait more than two months for treatment to start.

The Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation 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.

Liberal Democrats in Reading have called these new figures “horrifying”, with long waits to see GPs compounding the problem.

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.  They are also calling for patients to have a new right: to see a GP within 7 days, or within 24 hours if they urgently need to.

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 Reading, local 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.”