What Are We Waiting For? Our campaign for governments to tackle cancer waiting times

What is our new campaign about?

Our What Are We Waiting For? campaign calls on governments across the UK to make sure everyone with cancer gets the treatment they need, when they need it.

New research from Macmillan suggests that at least 100,000 people with cancer across the UK have been affected. There have been increased delays in being diagnosed and starting treatment. NHS staff are doing the very best they can, but the system is struggling.  

What are we asking for?

Our What Are We Waiting For? campaign asks governments across the UK to make the investments needed in the NHS. We need long-term funding plans and extra NHS staff to provide care and support to meet the needs of people with cancer.  Cancer can affect a person’s whole life, from their physical and emotional health, to finances and employment.

We need leaders to take action now. The main areas our campaign focuses on are:

• Cancer services waiting times – these are different across the UK. People living in more deprived areas often have longer delays, but it’s not clear why. Governments must work with experts to find out where the longest waits are and why they are happening. 
• Staff shortage –pressures on the NHS system include less funding and staff shortages, sending cancer professionals to other work in other areas, and backlogs from the pandemic.
• Complicated health services – governments must increase national funding so people have support to help them easily access the right care and services.

Governments must provide dedicated funding and support to:

• bring down waits for cancer services
• keep cancer professionals in frontline cancer care and invest in specialist staff so that everyone can get the support they need
• fund more administrative and support roles and  deliver support programmes, from prehabilitation to rehabilitation

Then people living with cancer can get the treatment they need, when they need it. 

How can you help?

• Sign and share our campaign banner to support NHS staff and people with cancer. Sign our campaign banner and help us to make our voices heard as we ask governments: What are you waiting for?
• Raise your voice - Join our campaigner network and join tens of thousands of people across the UK, who are campaigning for better support for people living with cancer. We'll keep you up to date with opportunities to take action and the latest news from our campaigns.
• Share your story - Macmillan hears every day from people in desperate need of support. Too many people are facing long waits for cancer tests and treatment, and are living with stress and worry. Staff across the system are doing the very best they can but are struggling to keep up. 

Whether you have been affected by delays to your cancer tests or treatment, or you're an NHS professional struggling to keep up - you can share your story here to help make a difference.