448 people in the wider Horsham area left waiting two months to start cancer treatment

New research from the House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed that 448 people were stuck waiting for more than two months before receiving treatment at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. In neighbouring University Hospitals Sussex NHS Trust, there were nearly four times as many waiting, with 1,772 people on the list.

These figures meant, in 2022, at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, 34% had to wait more than two months for treatment to start.

Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust has not hit the target of 85% of patients receiving a first treatment for cancer within 62 days of an urgent GP referral since 2017.

Liberal Democrats in Horsham have called these new figures “horrifying”.

Nationally, more than 66,000 patients were forced to wait more than two months for their first treatment last year after a referral. 

Ahead of the local elections, Liberal Democrats are calling for the Government to hire more staff, especially specialist cancer nurses. The party is also calling for a comprehensive strategy to ensure all those who have been left behind are offered timely cancer diagnosis and treatment and that targets be met as soon as possible. 

The Government must get a handle on this crisis so cancer patients get the urgent care they need to give them the best chance of survival and recovery.

Commenting on cancer waiting times in Horsham, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson, Cllr John Milne, said:

“It’s hard to imagine anything more distressing than being told you have cancer, but then forced to wait months before treatment even starts.

"We’ve all learned the lesson: fast action makes a huge difference to patient outcomes. But this simply isn’t happening in Horsham.

"This Government must take action to reverse staff shortages. The Conservatives seem determined to test local health services to breaking point and beyond.”