Rising number of Harrogate patients 'waited over 62 days for cancer treatment last year'
Harrogate’s MP says the UK’s cancer care system is “broken” as new figures show a growing number of patients of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust faced a two-month wait for cancer treatment last year
Following the announcement of the Government’s National Cancer Plan earlier this week Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, says it is unacceptable that thousands of cancer patients across the country are facing agonisingly long waits to get the treatment they need.
Local data shows that 293 patients at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust waited over 62 days for cancer treatment last year between January and November 2025, breaching the NHS standard that is considered safe.
This is up by 271 from the same period in 2024.
"Too many people with cancer in my constituency are waiting months for the treatment that they desperately need, which is completely unacceptable,” said Mr Gordon.
“But cancer care is broken across our country.
"Cancer services were left on their knees by the previous Conservative government and Labour have done little so far to end this tragedy.
"Action must be taken now and the Government must finally offer hope.”
The Harrogate MP met with Health Minister Ashley Dalton last September to push for a National Cancer Plan to improve services in Yorkshire which has some of the worst cancer outcomes in the country.
In the meeting Tom Gordon highlighted the findings of the Yorkshire Cancer Research White Rose Cancer Report.
The charity this week welcomed the Government’s announcement of a new National Cancer Plan.
Its Director of Research, Policy and Impact, Dr Stuart Griffiths said: "The charity has long called for a comprehensive national cancer strategy and campaigned for action to end cancer inequalities in the region.”
Nationally, the Liberal Democrats are campaigning for 100% of patients to start treatment for cancer within 62 days from urgent referral, with this written into law.
This, they say, would be delivered through 200 extra staffed radiotherapy machines, new radiotherapy centres to end “radiotherapy deserts”, and over 3,000 more cancer nurses to ensure everyone has a specialist supporting them.