NHS Cancer Crisis: Workforce Shortages, Waiting Times, and the Fight for Early Diagnosis

Critical staff shortages throughout the NHS—affecting specialists like radiologists, oncologists, and nurses—are significantly hindering cancer care. Workforce gaps contribute to severe delays in diagnosis and treatment, causing the UK to routinely miss key targets like the goal to start treatment within 62 days. We discuss the lethal consequences of these delays, particularly for less survivable cancers (LSC), and review the urgent demands made to the Government. These demands focus on increasing investment in training, recruitment, and diagnostic infrastructure to ensure patients receive world-class, timely care.

Key Takeaways

• NHS staffing shortfalls are substantial across key roles; the Royal College of Radiologists reports a 29% current shortage, projected to rise to 39% in five years, while clinical oncology faces a 15% shortfall.
• The national target for patients to begin treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral (85%) has not been met since December 2015. In August 2025, only 69% of patients met this timeframe.
• Diagnosis delays often occur early in the process due to inadequate capacity in services like pathology and endoscopy, leading to long waits for critical tests.
• Workforce shortages disproportionately affect patients with less survivable cancers (LSCs), such as pancreatic cancer, where only 35% of patients receive treatment within 62 days. LSCs account for 42% of cancer deaths.
• The Government is progressing with a national cancer plan and a 10-year workforce plan, though the workforce plan's publication has been delayed until spring 2026.

Discussion

If early diagnosis is key to survival, and workforce shortages are the primary barrier, how should the new national cancer plan prioritize funding to support primary care referrals and diagnostic infrastructure (such as phlebotomy services and neuroimaging access) to ensure swift detection across all cancers?.

Source: NHS Workforce Levels: Impact on Cancer Patients
Volume 773: debated on Thursday 23 October 2025

Transcript

Amy: 0:03

Hello, and welcome again to the Bench Report, where we discuss recent debates and briefings from the benches of the UK Parliament. A new topic every episode. You're listening to Amy and Ivan. We're focusing today on a really critical issue raised recently by Clive Jones, MP, and others. It's about NHS staffing levels, specifically the workforce and the well, the direct impact that's having on cancer patients.

Ivan: 0:29

Yes, and when you dig into the material from the debate, the picture becomes quite clear. It's not just one type of shortage either. We're seeing staff gaps, uh, equipment that's not being used properly, and issues with specialized training all coming together. A perfect storm almost. Pretty much. And the consensus is that something needs to happen fast. I mean, lives really are on the line here. We need to fix this capacity crisis.

Amy: 0:51

Okay, let's uh let's break down some of those specifics then, because the numbers for certain roles are quite alarming, aren't they?

Ivan: 0:57

They really are. Take radiology. The Royal College of Radiologists is reporting a 29% shortfall in consultants right now.

Amy: 1:03

29%. How many people is that?

Ivan: 1:05

That's about 1,670 posts unfilled. And the projection, it could hit 39% within just five years.

Amy: 1:12

Wow. And that's just radiology.

Ivan: 1:15

No, clinical oncology, too. The doctor's actually delivering treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy. They're facing a 15% shortfall currently, uh, potentially rising to 19% by 2029. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Amy: 1:26

And these aren't just numbers, they hit differently across the country, right? There was a pretty shocking regional example mentioned.

Ivan: 1:33

Yes, absolutely. Look at Southeast England. For advanced hematology nurse practitioners, really vital roles. The vacancy rate is 111% greater than the number of people actually doing the job.

Amy: 1:43

Wait, 111% greater? How does that even work?

Ivan: 1:46

It means for every nurse in that role, they need more than one additional person just to fill the current gaps. It's it's staggering.

Amy: 1:52

But really highlights the capacity issue and it creates this strange situation with equipment, too, doesn't it?

Ivan: 1:57

It does. We know the UK already has fewer MRI, CT, and PT scanners per person compared to similar countries. But even the scanners we do have often aren't used to their full potential simply because there aren't enough trained staff to operate them or interpret the results. Yeah. Well, it's incredibly inefficient. Money spent on machines sitting idle.

Amy: 2:16

So these workforce gaps, the equipment issues, they translate directly into delays for patients, I assume. How bad is it with the targets?

Ivan: 2:24

It's bad. Chronically bad. Yeah. You know, a 62-day target for urgent referrals to start treatment.

Amy: 2:31

Yeah. Trevor Burrus, Jr.

Ivan: 2:34

Exactly. That target hasn't been met nationally since December 2015.

Amy: 2:37

Since 2015. That's nearly a decade.

Ivan: 2:40

It is. And the latest figure showed only 69% of patients starting treatment on time. That means nearly a third are waiting longer than two months.

Amy: 2:48

Two months waiting for potentially life-saving treatment. And I guess that delay impacts some cancers more severely.

Ivan: 2:54

Definitely. Especially less survivable cancers LSCs. Things like lung, liver, brain, pancreatic cancer. These make up about 20% of cases, but um tragically account for 42% of all cancer deaths. The outcomes are just much poorer.

Amy: 3:09

And the delays hit them hardest.

Ivan: 3:11

Look at pancreatic cancer. Only 35% of those patients start treatment within that 62-day window. It's part of a wider problem, too. Only 38% of all cancer patients in England are diagnosed early at stage one or two.

Amy: 3:25

And sometimes the delays come down to really basic things, right? There was an example about blood tests.

Ivan: 3:30

Yes, quite a striking one concerning acute myeloid leukemia. Patients who faced avoidable delays in getting diagnosed, well, they are 22% more likely to die within a year.

Amy: 3:40

And the delay was just getting a blood test.

Ivan: 3:43

Often, yes, down to insufficient phlebotomy capacity. Literally, not enough people available quickly enough to take the blood samples needed for diagnosis, a fundamental step causing critical delays.

Amy: 3:54

Okay, so it's a clear crisis across staffing, equipment, diagnosis, treatment times. What's being proposed to fix it? There was mention of a national cancer plan.

Ivan: 4:03

Yes, the government confirmed its commitment to developing that plan back in February alongside a broader 10-year NHS workforce plan, which is still forthcoming.

Amy: 4:11

And what needs to be in those plans, according to the points raised in Parliament?

Ivan: 4:15

Well, several key things. A big one is guaranteed access to a clinical nurse specialist, a CNS.

Amy: 4:20

That dedicated point person for the patient.

Ivan: 4:22

Exactly. To guide patients through everything. But disturbingly, Blood Cancer UK found that 31% of blood cancer patients didn't even know who their CNS was. That link is vital, so it needs sorting.

Amy: 4:35

And the regional differences need addressing, too.

Ivan: 4:38

Absolutely. We mentioned Yorkshire earlier. It has the lowest rate of clinical and medical oncology consultants. Just 5.1 per 100,000 people aged 50 plus, compared to a national average of 6.6. That kind of postcode lottery isn't acceptable.

Amy: 4:53

So leveling up access, what else?

Ivan: 4:56

More support for primary care is crucial. Things like allowing GPs to directly order neuroimaging, like brain scans, if they have serious concerns. That could speed up diagnosis for things like brain tumors, and just general investment and training for GPs on cancer symptoms.

Amy: 5:11

Which brings us right back to the workforce. It seems it's not just about recruitment, is it? It's about keeping the experienced staff we have.

Ivan: 5:16

That's a huge part of it. The debate highlighted a really worrying trend. Experienced staff are leaving earlier.

Amy: 5:22

How much earlier?

Ivan: 5:23

The median age for radiologists leaving the NHS drops from 56 in 2021 down to just 49 in 2024.

Amy: 5:31

49? That's losing decades of experience, potentially.

Ivan: 5:34

Precisely. So beyond just hiring more people, the question becomes what systemic changes to workload, culture, maybe pay are needed to actually keep these vital, experienced clinicians in the NHS? That's something we're thinking about. As always, find us on social media at bench report UK. Get in touch with any topic important to you.

Amy: 5:53

Remember, politics is everyone's business.