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Cancer Scan Delays Cause 'Dangerously Long' Waits
9 Sep
Summary
- Scan results sent to Australia due to lack of Northern Ireland radiologists.
- Campaigners urge a 15% reduction in cancer death rate by 2040.
- Patients experience high anxiety levels while waiting for scan outcomes.
Patients in Northern Ireland are facing "dangerously long" waiting times for crucial cancer scan results, with some scans being sent to Australia for analysis due to a shortage of local radiologists. John McClean, who has been battling incurable cancer for seven years, described the waiting periods as leaving him "constantly on a knife-edge" and significantly increasing anxiety levels.
Campaigners, survivors, and experts gathered at Stormont to advocate for a commitment to reduce the cancer death rate by 15% by 2040. Cancer Research UK's "Longer Better Lives" campaign, launching this week, aims to prevent approximately 5,900 cancer deaths by 2040 through key recommendations, including tackling waiting times and improving screening programs.
The Department of Health acknowledged that cancer waiting times are not ideal but stated that work is underway to improve performance. They noted that increased reliance on radiology outsourcing is driven by growing demand and recruitment difficulties, with CT scanning demand rising by 10% annually, putting pressure on in-house capacity.
