Soaring numbers of cancer patients are going private or raiding their savings to pay for life-saving chemotherapy while the NHS continues to miss treatment targets.
Between April and June this year, there were more than 18,500 privately funded chemo appointments, a 1.7 per cent increase over the same period in 2024.
According to data from the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN), it was the only category of private healthcare that saw growth, reflecting the desperation of patients faced with long waiting lists.
The NHS has missed its two main cancer targets this year, with just two-thirds of patients receiving a diagnosis and first treatment within 62 days after an urgent referral.
Tory MP Caroline Johnson, who is also an NHS consultant, said: ‘The rise in private chemotherapy admissions highlights ongoing pressures in the NHS. With cancer waiting-time targets still being missed, it is unsurprising that more patients are turning to the private sector to access treatment more quickly.’
According to a survey by cancer charity Macmillan earlier this year, half of those having cancer treatment said they were worried that pressures on the NHS would affect their chances of survival.
This year’s rise in private chemotherapy admissions follows an increase of nearly a fifth last year compared with 2023’s figure.
Nicky Luff, 60, booked two appointments – one with the NHS and one with private insurance provider Vitality – after finding a lump in her left breast in September 2023.
Between April and June this year, there were more than 18,500 privately funded chemo appointments, a 1.7 per cent increase over the same period in 2024 (stock image)
The NHS has missed its two main cancer targets this year, with just two-thirds of patients receiving a diagnosis and first treatment within 62 days after an urgent referral (stock image)
However, her NHS appointment was later cancelled due to the junior doctors’ strikes at the time.
After a mammogram, CT scan and lumpectomy, she was told by her private consultant it was highly likely she had cancer. Her surgery was booked for October 15 and she is now undergoing private chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Reflecting on NHS cancer services, she said: ‘I sadly have friends who are going through breast cancer now, and they had appointments that have been cancelled. Someone is waiting 90 days for some results.
‘It’s mental torture if you are waiting – uncertainty is the worst part of the cancer journey because you just do not know what is ahead.’
Shimeon Lee, of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: ‘We have one of the most expensive healthcare systems in the world, yet time and time again it demonstrates an inability to provide the care that Brits pay through the nose for.’
An NHS spokesman said: ‘We recognise that there is more to do to reduce waits and ensure everyone can get the very best care, free at the point of need.’
