We have a fundamental problem of capacity and demand in cancer treatment. Over decades we have failed to grasp this, and we have sleepwalked into a chasm between the two. The government will say they’ve increased staff numbers. They have, but the problem is demand has increased more.
Cancer incidence rises year-on-year as the population ages, and so does its complexity. Each year we’re giving more complex treatments to more patients, and more complex patients for that matter. With a 15 per cent shortfall in clinical oncologists, we’re barely treading water. As a result, almost half of cancer centres now report that patient treatment is delayed most months or every month because of staff shortages. Some oncology departments have even considered pausing access to new treatments; they’re so busy getting through their everyday work that they struggle to facilitate bringing new treatments in.
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