Cancer waiting time targets branded ‘totally unacceptable’

THE failure of local hospitals to meet cancer waiting time targets was branded ‘totally unacceptable’ when the Western Health Trust’s senior management team held their latest meeting.

According to Cancer Research UK, everybody who receives an urgent suspected cancer referral should wait no more than two months between the date the hospital receives their referral and the start of their treatment.

However, during the month of October, only 40 per-cent of Western Health Trust patients on the ‘62-day cancer pathway’ were actually seen within the recommended window.

Despite this statistic, Western Trust cancer services, on a month-by-month basis, are regularly among the best performing in the region.

Speaking frankly about these figures during a Western Trust board meeting last Thursday, Non-Executive Director, Sean Hegarty, said the Trust could not afford to ‘turn a blind eye’.

“The 62-day (cancer pathway) situation is startling,” began Mr Hegarty.

“When you see how many barriers there are to allowing that 62-day process to function, the way things are set up and the way commission is done, and the way we allow a blind eye to be turned… there just simply is not enough resources, not enough money.”

He continued, “To allow something as serious as that cancer journey to constantly be blocked… is completely unacceptable.”

Mr Hegarty, who recently attended a presentation by local cancer service staff, then relayed their frustration to the board.

“I think it is well worthy that that presentation be brought to the Trust Board, because that is the sort of thing that we cannot just listen to and ignore.

“It is very frustrating, they are very frustrated. They are very good at what they are doing, they can account for everything that is going on in their world, but they can’t work miracles.”

‘Catastrophic’

Speaking with the Tyrone Herald about the state of cancer services within the trust and across the North, Sarah Christie, from Macmillan Cancer Support, said, “The cancer care situation in Northern Ireland is catastrophic.”

“People living with cancer and the hardworking healthcare professionals supporting them in the Western Trust, and in all trusts across Northern Ireland, are being let down time and time again by politicians who are yet to tackle deplorable waiting times for cancer treatment and care.

“The impact of the lack of functioning Executive cannot be understated. Far too many people are facing dangerously long waits for cancer diagnosis and treatment, turning their worlds upside down with stress and worry.

“We need politicians in Northern Ireland to do their jobs, get back to Stormont and take urgent action to address the crisis in cancer care.”