Cancer waiting times: 32-year-old Northern Ireland man ‘passed from pillar to post’ for seven months

The figures from the Department of Health show that less than 40% of patients started treatment within the target of 62 days following an urgent GP referral.

David Reid from Ballymena waited for seven months from reporting his symptoms for cancer treatment, despite a previous cancer diagnosis.

The 32-year-old, who has had life-changing surgery and now lives with two permanent stomas, was first diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2019.

He said: “It was a shock, but I saw it as a bump in the road that I would get over. I had ileostomy surgery to give me a temporary stoma alongside chemotherapy treatment. Things progressed well, I was in good health and had my procedure reversed in April 2022.

“By June 2022 however, I was starting to have some new symptoms, different to the bladder issues I’d had before. I saw my GP and had tests. Two weeks later, I was still having issues and was referred to urology. Weeks passed and I heard nothing. I called the GP and they said I could be waiting for six months to be seen.

“That floored me. I’d been treated for cancer recently and yet there was no urgency, no push to get me back into the system quickly. I was constantly on edge worrying about my health. My symptoms were coming and going and my mental health was suffering as much as my physical health. It was taking its toll on all aspects on my life.”

David said he started to look at private care then an appointment came “out of the blue” after which it was confirmed his cancer had returned.

He said: “It took seven months from reporting symptoms to my GP and six months from that day with the consultant before I had major, life-changing surgery to treat the recurrence of cancer.

“It was a long, long six months. I was passed from pillar to post. Many people were seemingly involved in my care but I wasn’t one of them.

“I cannot fault our healthcare professionals who are doing everything they can with the resources they have.

“It’s the system that has let me and many others down. There are people like me on lists in every trust in Northern Ireland – it shouldn’t be this way.”

Macmillan’s Sarah Christie said: “[David’s story] is an indictment of the system that there were no dramatic Covid delays or cancellations to blame for the delay to his treatment.

“What he experienced is an appalling normality for people living with cancer in Northern Ireland.

“Our elected representatives should be ashamed. Compared to other parts of the UK with functioning governments, we have become second-class citizens of health care without an assembly to take responsibility and act with integrity to support people living with cancer.”

Cancer Research’s Margaret Carr said: “It’s unacceptable that almost two thirds of people are waiting too long to start cancer treatment.

“Despite the tireless efforts of HSC staff, there can be little doubt that Northern Ireland’s cancer care system is in crisis.”

Alliance Party’s Paula Bradshaw has said that the funding needs for year two of the Cancer Strategy must be allocated for the next financial year to see improved waiting times for cancer referrals.