A leading specialist says longer waiting times after Covid could lead to more people dying.
"Patients are being diagnosed and treated later than we would like," says Prof Tom Crosby "We're facing the most challenging times we have ever experienced in cancer services which were already fragile," he said.
"Demand is outstripping capacity and that means patients are being diagnosed and treated later than we would like. "We are going to see a deterioration in cancer outcomes as measured in survival, quality of life and patient experience.'These facilities should be available to all'John White became worried when he noticed lumps under his shoulder. Because of the pandemic he put off getting his symptoms checked out. "I let things slide for a couple of months," he said. "And I finally thought, 'I really must go to see my GP'. "After a physical examination I was referred to a rapid diagnosis clinic in Neath Port Talbot hospital. "I really wasn't confident things would move quickly. Given the pandemic, waiting lists and all these things on the news. "To my amazement, within a few days I had an appointment, was given a CAT scan, a physical examination, blood tests and things like that and received an initial diagnosis that very morning." He had a form of blood cancer and was sent to a specialist team. He then began chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatment. "What I have isn't curable but it is manageable," Mr White, from Swansea, said. "Hopefully that course of treatment may give me as much as three to four years untroubled.The latest official numbers show in 853 of 1,594 of cases, patients in Wales started treatment within 62 days of first being suspected of having cancer. It is the second lowest figure recorded since new measures were introduced in 2021. The target is 75%.Richard Pugh, of Macmillan Cancer Support in Wales, called it a crisis. During the pandemic, he said, people "sat on their symptoms".He said: "Now they are flooding back into the system resulting in huge pressures. "Around half of patients are missing the waiting time target for treatment and the psychological impact on that individual and family is huge.Prof Crosby believes NHS Wales must adopt new and innovative ways to work.
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