'Extremely dangerous' cancer care delays due to lack of staff

Doctors have warned of "extremely dangerous" delays to cancer care due to staffing shortages.

A survey by the Royal College of Radiologists found eight in 10 radiology leaders and half of cancer centre leaders think shortages are causing patients' conditions to worsen and delays in diagnoses.

It also says demand for scans is growing more than twice as much as there are radiologists to interpret them – with recruitment freezes making the situation worse.

Dr Stephen Harden, president of the royal college, said the findings should be causing "alarm bells" for governments across the UK.

"Delays to diagnosis and cancer treatment are extremely dangerous, particularly in deprived and rural communities where shortages are worst," he warned.

"We simply don't have enough clinical radiologists and clinical oncologists to meet rising demand," he added.

"Without urgent action to train, recruit and retain more doctors, more patients will suffer."

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The report is based on responses from cancer centre and radiology department leaders across the UK, including 100% of them in Scotland.

Scottish government data shows that in 2025, almost 100,000 people waited over six weeks to have a scan or diagnostic test. Only 71% of patients started cancer treatment within 62 days of a referral, against a target of 95%.

NHS Scotland has 28% fewer radiologists and 18% fewer clinical oncologists than it needs to meet current demand, according to the RCR data. By 2030, those numbers could rise to 37% and 58%.

Scotland's health secretary, Angela Constance, said the situation had improved in the past decade but admitted cancer services were under pressure.

"We will be developing a national workforce plan with the NHS, and, in the meantime, we have seen an increase in consultant oncologists and consultant radiologists in recent years," she said.

"We are also investing up to £10.5m per year by 2027 in chemotherapy and oncology services to ensure we build a sustainable workforce.

"The number of diagnostic tests being carried out has increased, and we will continue to make progress to ensure patients get the right care in the right place as quickly as possible."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Extremely dangerous' cancer care delays due to lack of staff