People with cancer face ‘ticking timebomb’ due to NHS staff shortages

<p>Royal College of Radiologists warns of long delays to have surgery or treatment, raising chances of disease spreading</p><p>People with cancer face a “ticking timebomb” of delays in getting diagnosed and treated because the NHS is too short-staffed to provide prompt care, senior doctors have warned.</p><p>An NHS-wide shortage of radiologists and oncologists means patients are enduring long waits to have surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy and have a consultant review their care.</p><p>“Our waiting times for breast radiotherapy are now the worst I have ever known in 20 years.”</p><p>“Current wait for head and neck cancers [is] six weeks, meaning possible progression before radiotherapy.”</p><p>“A multiple week wait for palliative treatment has sometimes led to deterioration to the point is no longer possible.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/jun/05/people-with-cancer-face-ticking-timebomb-due-to-nhs-staff-shortages">Continue reading...</a>