New figures show access to Radiotherapy in the South Lakes in amongst the worst in England

South Lakes access to radiotherapy treatment is among the worst in the country, falling close to 20% below the national average for breast cancer.

Statistics from the Radiotherapy Dataset Annual report reveal that the number of patients receiving treatment for breast cancer is around 20% lower than the national average in Lancashire and South Cumbria, and 10% below the national average for all cancers. While Devon and Cornwall have access to four radiotherapy units, Lancashire and South Cumbria are served by a single unit in Preston.

This places Lancashire and South Cumbria in the bottom six geographical regions analysed, ahead of 22 other regions, The distance from radiotherapy treatment units may be a possible cause of this low uptake, analysis suggests, as variation in number and type of cancer cases does not explain the low figures for the region.

Commenting, Tim said "These statistics highlight the urgent need to bring a Radiotherapy Unit to Westmorland General Hospital. It's crazy that the only place serving the whole of Lancashire and South Cumbria is Preston. For many of my constituents this means a 100 mile round trip for one treatment.

It's no surprise that Cornwall currently has a better service than us. We need to keep up the pressure for a Radiotherapy Unit at Westmorland General Hospital, so that statistics like these become a thing of the past. Currently, people in South Lakes are not getting access to the services they need."