We launched the award-winning #CatchUpWithCancer campaign when Craig and Mandy Russell lost their daughter Kelly, at the age of just 31, to bowel cancer.
Her life expectancy was drastically cut short after her cancer treatment was stopped as a direct result of the Covid-19 response. Since then, many more cancer patients have faced long delays waiting for treatment, reducing their chances of surviving. Not only that, but they have had the indignity of seeing media reports that suggest the situation is improving when it is not.
Today, Radiotherapy UK is backing Macmillan Cancer Support’s What Are We Waiting For campaign – to tackle dangerously long waits for cancer tests and treatment.
We are calling for the government to acknowledge that radiotherapy can be a key part of the solution and to urgently invest in treatment services to radically improve current waiting times and patient outcomes.
Our recommendations, in partnership with the All Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy, are:
To have a national plan and protected funding to replace treatment machines that are out of date and so less effective.
- It is estimated that by the end of 2024 there will be over 70 LINACs (radiotherapy machines) that will have reached or be over their recommended 10 year life span and therefore need replacing. An investment of £200m could go a long way towards replacing them with modern world class machines and technology.
To invest in recruitment and retention for the radiotherapy workforce.
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The Society College of Radiographers 2021 census showed a 8.4% vacancy rate for the radiotherapy workforce, the highest rate since 2012. Vacant posts were 30% higher than new graduates qualifying. Though workforce numbers have increased somewhat in recent years, staff shortages persist and create additional pressure. A Radiotherapy UK workforce survey showed that 89% of respondents were considering leaving the profession, or knew someone who was.
Significant investment in technology and workforce training.
- Investing £45 million in Surface Guided Radiation Therapy innovation could significantly reduce waiting times for radiotherapy across the country by around 2 weeks: and AI software and technologies could amplify the workforce, build capacity and reduce planning tasks from taking hours to just minutes.
Over the coming months we will continue to work with parliamentarians, stakeholders, industry, the radiotherapy workforce, former and current patients and the public to get the message out there: that there is so much that can be done to cut waiting times and bring vital cancer treatment to every UK patient.
