Up to 700 cancer patients are waiting over SIX MONTHS for treatment, new stats show

UP to 700 cancer patients are waiting more than six months for treatment, new figures show.

A Freedom of Information request showed 59 per cent of responding NHS trusts had longest cancer waiting times exceeding 200 days.

PA

Labour chief Sir Keir Starmer and Shadow Health Secretary, Wes Streeting, talk to staff at Bassetlaw Hospital in Nottinghamshire[/caption]

And 12 per cent recorded queues lasting over a year.

NHS targets state no one should wait more than two months between the date of a referral and the start of treatment.

But the goal time hasn’t been met in almost 10 years, with one in three now being left untreated for more than 62 days.

Labour last night vowed to tackle the crisis in cancer care by freeing up 40,000 extra evening and weekend appointments.

The party also pledged to double the number of CT & MRI scanners – and use spare capacity in the private sector to get patients diagnosed faster.

Shadow Health Secretary and cancer survivor Wes Streeting told The Sun: “I know how important it is to receive timely diagnosis so you can get the treatment you need, when you need it.

“But after 14 years of Tory chaos, the reality for many patients is that they are left waiting.

“Rishi Sunak’s desperate claim that the NHS is turning a corner has been blown out of the water.

“The NHS is desperate for a change and only Labour has a plan to deliver it. It’s time to end the chaos, turn the page and rebuild Britain.”