Cancer waiting times drive call for protected funding after 2027 election

MLA’s join with cancer survivors, sufferers and members of Cancer Focus NI on the steps of Stormont to call for cancer services to be funded and protected.

Cancer services must become a protected and fully funded priority after the next Northern Ireland Assembly election, a leading charity has said as figures expose the scale of the waits facing patients.

Cancer Focus Northern Ireland has launched its 2027 Election Manifesto, calling on every political party to commit to faster diagnosis and treatment, improved support services and delivery of Northern Ireland’s existing Cancer Strategy.

The charity has also opened a public petition allowing people to contact their local MLA directly and urge them to prioritise cancer during the next Stormont mandate.

Waiting-time targets remain far out of reach

Department of Health figures show that just 29.5% of patients who began cancer treatment between October and December 2025 did so within 62 days of an urgent GP referral.

That amounted to 426 patients and was far below the target of at least 95%.

More recent figures for the first three months of 2026 show that only 7.9% of urgent breast cancer referrals were seen by a specialist within 14 days, against a target that all such patients should be seen within that period.

Although that represented an improvement from 5.5% during the previous quarter, 306 of the 3,890 patients seen between January and March received their appointment within the target time.

Updated figures for the 62-day cancer treatment target have not yet been released. The Department of Health said the data for the quarter ending March 2026 required further validation and would be published separately.

Charity demands funded delivery plan

Cancer Focus NI warned that delays can affect treatment outcomes while adding significantly to the anxiety experienced by patients and their families.

It also highlighted continuing inequalities, with people living in the most deprived communities often experiencing poorer cancer outcomes.

Northern Ireland’s ten-year Cancer Strategy was published in 2022, but the charity said political leaders must now move from ambition to delivery through sustained investment, a larger workforce and clearer public accountability.

Nora Smith, Director of Policy, Research and External Engagement at Cancer Focus Northern Ireland, said:

“Cancer will not wait, and neither should the people of Northern Ireland. The next Executive must protect cancer funding, publish a clear delivery plan and be accountable for progress.

“People deserve a timely diagnosis and treatment, regardless of where they live or how they enter the system. We know what needs to change. Political leaders now have an opportunity to turn ambition into action, save lives and ensure every person affected by cancer receives the care and support they need.”

North Antrim MLA backs campaign

North Antrim MLA Philip McGuigan, who chairs the Assembly’s Health Committee and is Sinn Féin’s health spokesperson, has backed the manifesto’s demands.

Mr McGuigan said:

“Cancer touches every community and almost every family, yet far too many patients are still waiting much too long for diagnosis and treatment. The fact that fewer than one in three patients are beginning treatment within the 62-day target demands urgent and sustained action.

“I welcome Cancer Focus NI’s manifesto and support its call for cancer services to be protected and properly funded. The next Executive must prioritise earlier diagnosis, reduce unacceptable waiting times and ensure that everyone affected by cancer can access the treatment, psychological support and practical help they need.

“We already have a Cancer Strategy. What patients and families now need is delivery, backed by a fully costed action plan, multi-year investment, a strengthened workforce and clear accountability for progress.”

How the public can take action

People can sign the Cancer Focus NI petition and use it to contact their local MLA here.

The manifesto is available here.

With an Assembly election due in 2027, the immediate test will be whether political parties turn their support for better cancer care into firm, costed commitments — and whether patients ultimately see those promises translated into shorter waits.