Data on waiting list times for cancer patients in the Western Health and Social Care Trust (WHSCT) area show significant delays in cancer treatment for patients referred on urgent pathways.

According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, patients diagnosed with skin, breast, lung, prostate, and bowel cancers have faced increasing waiting times over the past five years, raising concerns over the Trust’s ability to meet recommended treatment guidelines.

The data, which covers the period from 2019/2020 to 2023/2024, shows a marked increase in the number of patients referred with suspected cancers. Skin cancer referrals have risen from 1,483 to 2,396 over the five years, while bowel cancer referrals spiked to 4,439 in 2022/2023 before slightly decreasing to 3,295 in the latest year. The overall increase in referrals indicates a growing demand for the Trust’s cancer services, which has been struggling to keep pace.

Figures reveal that many patients are waiting beyond the 62-day target recommended for urgent cancer treatment. For example, in 2023/2024, 227 prostate cancer patients and 87 bowel cancer patients had waits exceeding this benchmark.

The situation is even more concerning for some patients who have had to endure delays of over six months and, in a few cases, beyond a year.

These prolonged wait times expose patients to heightened risks and potentially worsen outcomes.

For those facing the longest delays, the situation is particularly dire. The Trust reported that, in the last financial year, some patients had to wait almost 10 months to begin treatment.

Specifically, prostate cancer patients faced a maximum wait time of 290 days, while bowel cancer patients waited up to 308 days before receiving treatment. These figures are among the highest across all types of cancers, with skin, breast, and lung cancer patients also experiencing substantial delays.

The WHSCT’s cancer waiting list statistics underscore serious challenges within the Trust's healthcare provision, with the delays pointing to potential systemic issues.

As well as the data obtained in the Freedom of Information request, quarterly statistics from the Department of Health (DoH) show that the Western Trust is falling short on cancer waiting times.

The second quarter statistics for April to June 2024 also show missed targets when it comes to cancer patient referrals.

While the Western Trust can claim to have the highest percentage of patients commencing treatment within 31 days of the decision, 459 out of 471, this was still below the 98 per cent target from the DoH.

43 per cent of patients in the Western Trust began treatment within 62 days, however, this is well below the 95 per cent target.

For breast cancer referrals within 14 days, the Western Trust had the highest percentage but it was still below the DoH target which is that all urgent breast cancer referrals be seen within 14 days.

930 patients were seen during the quarter with 768 seen within 14 days and 162 waiting longer than a fortnight.