steven mcintosh, executive director of advocacy & communications at macmillan cancer support, says long waiting times are causing even more damage to patients. they are incredibly concerning. what mcmillan is hearing every day, we provide some advice and support for people who are waiting for a diagnosis or treatment or surgery and that is traumatic. if you are watching the days and hours tick by, hoping you can get access to treatment as soon as possible, on top of all of the ways in which cancer can make your life fall apart, financially, yourjob, apart, financially, your job, family, apart, financially, yourjob, family, relationships, that is what is causing massive anxiety for those people affected. it is really encouraging people are coming forward with cancer symptoms, and it is important if you have got a lump or a bomb or an unexplained pain, get in touch with your gp and get into the system because the earlier we catch cancer, the easier it is to
before i could start treatment. tell us how you are doing now and the treatment you are continuing to have? i understand you have scans every three months? have? i understand you have scans every three months? yes, i am a drug that was approved every three months? yes, i am a drug that was approved in 2015. every three months? yes, i am a drug that was approved in 2015. so - every three months? yes, i am a drug that was approved in 2015. so far i that was approved in 2015. so far every scan i have a three months has put me at stable, because i am incurable. however, iam put me at stable, because i am incurable. however, i am facing the fact that now my ct scan was due last week, my three monthly scan and i have no idea when i am going to receive that scan. i have just been informed there is a backlog because they face a shortage of staff. 50 no they face a shortage of staff. so no idea when you they face a shortage of staff. so no idea when you have they face a shortage of sta
doubled to more than 67,000. similar data for wales isn t available, but long waits also appear to be on the rise. i know that all those in the nhs are working as hard as they possibly can to try and support patients. but what i m concerned about is that it doesn t look like the targets are being met and the government are looking at changing the target, so i don t feel optimistic. what would really help would be to have that workforce strategy, to have a clearer plan for how we re going to tackle the real pressures that there are in the system. the anxiety of waiting to discover whether you have cancer and then for treatment to begin is something charlotte knows all too well. she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer, but had to wait months for her treatment to start. it was worrying and it was frustrating. there s more to the point because as much as i was phoning, i couldn t get seen any quicker
raised concerns about what they saw on that x ray that was the thing? yes. and i m not saying the end result wouldn t have been the same. it would, i know that. i think he perhaps might have had a little bit longer. would the chemo have done any good, if it had that sooner? if he d had that sooner? i honestly don t know. it s not. ..not something we re ever going to be able to answer. and we ve got to live with that. and my children have got to live with that, which is even harder. a bbc analysis of nhs data from england, scotland and northern ireland shows a dramatic increase in cancer waiting times. the majority of patients are only meant to wait a maximum of 62 days from when they first see their gp to the start of treatment. in 2018, before the pandemic, there were nearly 32,000 people in england, scotland and northern ireland who waited longer than that target of 62 days. but this year that number has
appointment to come through to speak to someone who could explain exactly what i was about to face. that to someone who could explain exactly what i was about to face. what i was about to face. that is dreadful, that what i was about to face. that is dreadful, that is what i was about to face. that is dreadful, that is dreadful. - what i was about to face. that is dreadful, that is dreadful. you l what i was about to face. that is i dreadful, that is dreadful. you have been given that diagnosis, you want some more information at that point. how long did you have to wait for that next appointment to find out what would happen next? i that next appointment to find out what would happen next?- that next appointment to find out what would happen next? i think it came through what would happen next? i think it came through between what would happen next? i think it came through between ten - what would happen next? i think it came through between ten to i what would happen next? i