Shadow Minister for Health, Darren Millar AM, has branded waiting times for cancer treatment in Wales “a lottery”.
Latest figures reveal the Welsh Government’s own target is still being missed, with significant differences dependent upon the type of cancer.
91 per cent of all patients urgently referred to hospital were seen within 62 days. The target is 95 per cent.
- For lung and haematological – 88 per cent were treated within the target time.
- For head and neck – the figure is 78 per cent.
- For upper gastrointestinal – 71 per cent.
The Welsh government’s own operating framework clearly states that ‘by March 2010 organisations must have achieved… the cancer waiting times of both 31 and 62 day targets, routinely’.
Its figures also show a drop of 6.6 per cent in the total number of hospital medical staff in oncology last year.
Shadow Minister for Health, Darren Millar AM, said:
“Cancer waiting times in Wales are nothing short of a lottery.
“While the average wait is well below the acceptable standard, the length of time for each patient is entirely dependent upon the suspected type of cancer.
“That’s not the kind of service patients should have to put up with. It’s a game of chance – and that’s completely unacceptable.
“A drop in the total number of oncology staff in the last two years is further proof that frontline services are suffering under Labour.
“Investment is sorely needed – yet instead – the Welsh Labour government is cutting the health budget by a billion pounds.
“This is a situation destined to get worse, yet still there is no sign of a national cancer plan or a cancer co-ordinator.
“We need to know exactly what the Health Minister is doing to cut waiting times and to stamp out this Welsh cancer lottery.”
