Patients face unprecedented delays in accessing the NHS over the next few years. There is also a real chance of waiting lists more than doubling by 2025 according to watchdogs.
According to the National Audit Office, the number of people waiting for treatment in hospitals will rise from 5.8million to 12million in England.
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This is due to GPs having referred 9.1 million fewer patients during pandemic.
According to the NAO, up to 740,000 possible cancer cases were not sent for urgent medical checks.
According to the report, 60,000 people were unable to access treatment for the disease.
Professor Pat Price, an oncologist, is a member of #CatchUpWithCancer. “We are in the biggest cancer catastrophe ever to hit the NHS.”
Ministers are pumping £8billion into the NHS over the next three years to try to cut delays.
However, the report stated that cash alone is not sufficient and warned that the backlog would take many years to clear.
The NHS is set to reveal imminently details of how it will tackle the problem — with plans to move patients around the country and scrap some follow-up appointments.
Chair of the Public Accounts Committee Meg Hillier MP said: “Millions of ‘missing’Patients avoided or were unable see a doctor during pandemic.
“Things will get worse before they get better.”
Eve Byrne (head of campaigns and public affairs, Macmillan Cancer Support) called for immediate action to address the chronic staffing shortages.