"Horrifying" stats show 520 people in Weston-super-Mare area left waiting two months to start cancer treatment

New research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed 520 people were stuck waiting for more than two months before receiving treatment at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

These figures meant, in 2022, 37% of local patients had to wait more than two months for treatment to start.

Bristol and Weston NHS 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 Weston-super-Mare 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 Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding villages, Liberal Democrat Cllr Patrick Keating, said:

"The Government has been driving our local health services into the ground and taking patients for granted for years, Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding towns and villages deserve 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."

Data analysed by the House of Commons Library

Original Source: NHS England - Cancer Waiting Times

National data first reported in the Observer