Cancer patients should be able to access the right treatment at the right time, wherever they live. But for radiotherapy patients, long waits and stark regional inequalities remain.
Following the launch of the new report Time to Act: Tackling inequality in radiotherapy access, patient advocate Brenda Scotland and MPs Tim Farron and Grahame Morris explain why change is needed – and why independent, expert leadership could help turn ambition into action.
Brenda Scotland, cancer patient
After radiotherapy treatment for cancer, I wasn’t prepared for meeting so many people who had waited too long to start the same treatment.
I was shocked by the postcode lottery of it all, and I felt guilty.
My treatment was on time, I got what I needed. But so many people do not.
Just 40% of patients in England are getting radiotherapy within the 62-day target for first treatment. In some areas it is just 10%.
This is so deeply unfair that it’s driven me to act alongside Radiotherapy UK and the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy, shining a light on the crisis and share evidence-based solutions that really work.
Key point: Where you live shouldn’t determine if you live.
Tim Farron MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy
My constituents have suffered long journeys for radiotherapy treatment for decades – up to a three-hour round trip for some.
That’s why I Chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy, which works with Radiotherapy UK to unearth these shocking inequalities.
The Government’s own target says that 80% of cancer patients should receive their first treatment within 62 days by March 2027, which is only months away.
Currently, 71.2% do and you can see the data here. The result of this is that people are either waiting longer than they should be for treatment or, in some case, not getting that treatment at all.
That will lead to unnecessary deaths. And increased stress and anxiety as people wait to begin treatment. Isn’t cancer traumatic enough already?
Key point: England is falling short on timely cancer treatment.
Grahame Morris MP, Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Radiotherapy
We know what works, and it’s time to bring it back.
The Government has recognised the value of independent scrutiny in cancer policy.
Radiotherapy now needs dedicated expert scrutiny too.
That’s why I joined with Brenda, Tim and other radiotherapy advocates, in Parliament to launch Time to Act: Tackling inequality in radiotherapy access.
Its central recommendation is to establish a new, independent, clinician-led National Radiotherapy Advisory Group, supported by an implementation group to turn expertise into action. Together, they would help set a national radiotherapy framework and drive improvements in access, technology and treatment.
We know that coordinated action on radiotherapy can make a difference. Previous improvements that dramatically reduced radiotherapy waiting times were estimated to save around 2,500 lives a year in England.
That’s because modern radiotherapy offers an opportunity to reduce waiting times and improve outcomes. However, ageing equipment, workforce shortages and fragmented planning hold services back. Realising radiotherapy’s potential requires a coordinated plan, clear accountability and support for the incredible radiotherapy workforce.
The Time to Act report provides a route forward. Our next task is to build parliamentary support, take its recommendations to ministers and win the argument for world-class radiotherapy.
Key point: Independent radiotherapy expertise can help turn national ambition into delivery.
Now we need your help
- Read Time to Act: Tackling inequality in radiotherapy access and see the evidence and recommendations in full.