MP calls for cancer plan after big rise in cancelled operations in Morecambe Bay
More cancer operations were cancelled in Morecambe Bay than nearly anywhere else in the country last year, shocking figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.
Morecambe Bay Hospitals Trust cancelled 123 cancer related surgeries in 2023/24, a 28% increase on the previous year and the 12th highest in England.
It comes as the latest figures from the NHS showed that in October, one in four cancer patients in the area were waiting more than two months to start their first treatment.
Last year, the Government scrapped its longstanding cancer plan and instead merged it into a wider “major conditions strategy” that also covers a range of other major diseases.
In the House of Commons this week, local MP Tim Farron will table an Early Day Motion which calls for a ‘National Cancer Control Plan’ to help clear the enormous backlog of patients waiting for treatment.
Tim said: “These shocking figures show that cancer patients across South Cumbria are being catastrophically let down.
“Every cancelled operation can have a devastating impact on patients and their families. We know that when it comes to cancer care, delays can cost lives.
“Conservative ministers are totally failing to tackle the cancer care crisis. The NHS is being held back by ageing and faulty equipment, a lack of beds and not enough specialist staff.
“That’s why I’m tabling a motion in Parliament to press the Government to treat the cancer crisis with the seriousness it deserves.”