Northern Ireland cancer waiting times branded ‘crisis’ as only one in three patients treated on time

Inset: North Antrim MP Jim Allister

Cancer patients in Northern Ireland are facing the worst waiting times in the UK, with new analysis warning delays are now putting lives at risk — as political pressure mounts on Stormont to act.

A major report published on Thursday (23 April) by Cancer Research UK has laid bare the scale of the crisis, revealing that cancer waiting times in Northern Ireland have been deteriorating for more than 16 years and are now the poorest across the UK.

The charity’s latest findings show that only around 31% of patients began treatment within 62 days of an urgent “red flag” referral in 2025, a dramatic collapse from 83% in 2013, highlighting a sustained and worsening decline in performance.

With around 10,300 people diagnosed with cancer each year in Northern Ireland, the report warns that tens of thousands of patients are now moving through a system under severe and prolonged strain.

Delays ‘risking lives’ as system reaches breaking point

Cancer Research UK’s report, No Time To Wait, concludes that long delays in diagnosis and treatment are no longer simply a performance issue but represent a direct patient safety risk.

The charity warns that prolonged waits can allow cancers to progress to more advanced stages, reducing survival chances and limiting treatment options. In some cases, patients who may have been eligible for curative treatment could instead require palliative care.

The report goes further, cautioning that some patients may be dying unnecessarily as a result of delays, underlining the severity of the situation.

Patients are also facing significant psychological strain, with long waiting periods causing anxiety, distress and uncertainty for both individuals and their families.

Sixteen years of decline and no trust meeting targets

The analysis highlights a consistent downward trend in performance over more than a decade and a half, with Northern Ireland now lagging significantly behind other parts of the UK.

No Health and Social Care Trust in Northern Ireland is currently meeting key cancer waiting time targets, including:

• The 62-day standard from urgent referral to treatment

• The 31-day standard from decision to treat to treatment

This failure is occurring against a backdrop of rising demand, with an estimated 30,700 patients expected to begin treatment following urgent referrals over the next five years alone.

Workforce shortages and capacity pressures at heart of crisis

The report identifies deep-rooted structural issues across the health system, including:

• Shortages in oncology, radiology and specialist nursing staff

• Limited diagnostic capacity, including access to scans and endoscopy

• Pressure on surgical theatres, chemotherapy and radiotherapy services

These bottlenecks are causing delays at multiple points in the cancer pathway, compounding waiting times and creating a system-wide backlog.

Cancer Research UK also points to a lack of coordinated, urgent response, warning that current efforts are too slow and fragmented to match the scale of the crisis.

Call to prioritise ‘long-wait’ patients over targets

In a significant shift, the report argues that traditional waiting time targets alone are no longer sufficient in the current environment.

Instead, it calls for an immediate focus on reducing the number of patients experiencing the longest waits — those considered to be at the highest clinical risk.

The charity is urging the Department of Health and wider system to adopt a crisis-response approach, prioritising patient safety and harm reduction while longer-term reforms are developed.

Jim Allister: ‘An absolute disgrace’

Reacting to the findings, Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister MP said the report provided further evidence that urgent action is needed.

He said:

“A report published today by Cancer Research UK which reveals that Northern Ireland’s cancer waits are – by far – the worst in the UK, and have been worsening steadily over the last 16 years, is ever more evidence that Stormont must act now to help those in need.

“In its Cancer in the UK: Northern Ireland Overview 2026, the charity highlights the significant capacity and workforce shortages across diagnostics, surgery and oncology departments that cancer services here have experienced for many years.

“One of the reasons that NI is lagging behind in cancer services is the lengthy period of not having a functioning government and lack of adequate funding. This has resulted in a significant decline in performance against cancer waiting time targets and far too many patients experiencing long waits for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

“Cancer Research UK states that in Northern Ireland only around 31% of patients started treatment within 62 days of a red-flag referral in 2025, compared to 83% in 2013. No health trust in Northern Ireland is currently meeting the 62-day or 31-day cancer waiting time standards.

“Alongside this, sustained attention and investment is required to deliver the 10-year Cancer Strategy, including key medium- and long-term policies. In February, my party colleague Timothy Gaston MLA tabled a written question to the health minister, asking what progress has been made against each of the 58 actions contained in the Department’s publication A Cancer Strategy for Northern Ireland 2022–2032 Funding Plan since its publication. Part of the answer was that since 2024/25, £10.6m in recurrent funding has been invested in delivering the strategy, which is well below the projected £55.7m expected by year 4. This is simply unacceptable.

“More needs to be done to increase screening participation too. Cancer Research UK’s report states that while the numbers of people who smoke has decreased, smoking remains the leading cause of cancer in the UK – and around 1,500 new cancer cases a year in Northern Ireland are caused by smoking. The charity says that if a targeted lung screening programme was fully implemented in Northern Ireland, around 210 additional patients each year could be diagnosed at an early stage, when there are more treatment options, rather than at a late stage.

“It is encouraging that the proportion of people taking part in bowel screening has increased, according to the report – but again, Northern Ireland is lagging behind the rest of the UK when it comes to screening. I wrote to the health minister a month ago to call for the bowel screening age to be reduced from 60 to 50.

“This letter remains unanswered.

“It is clear from this report that cancer waiting times here are an absolute disgrace. No one should be waiting more than two months to begin treatment. Much more investment is needed, and more work done on prevention policies and targeted screening programmes. It’s time the Northern Ireland Executive realised that this is a crisis and it needs to act now.”

Funding gap and prevention challenges highlighted

The report also draws attention to funding and prevention gaps, including:

• Only £10.6 million in recurrent funding allocated towards the cancer strategy since 2024/25, compared to a projected £55.7 million by year four

• Smoking remaining the leading cause of cancer, responsible for around 1,500 new cases annually in Northern Ireland

• The potential for 210 additional early-stage lung cancer diagnoses each year if targeted screening were fully implemented

While bowel screening participation has improved, uptake still lags behind other UK regions, raising further concerns about early detection rates.

A system under pressure — and a call for urgent action

Cancer Research UK is calling for an immediate, coordinated response to stabilise services, reduce long waits and prevent further deterioration.

This includes:

• Emergency measures to reduce the number of patients waiting the longest

• Increased diagnostic and treatment capacity

• Workforce expansion across key specialisms

• Stronger accountability and system leadership

Alongside these short-term actions, the charity emphasises the need for sustained long-term reform to rebuild cancer services and ensure they can meet future demand.

Human impact behind the statistics

Behind every delayed appointment or missed target, the report stresses, are patients facing uncertainty, worsening illness and, in some cases, reduced chances of survival.

For thousands of people across Northern Ireland each year, the consequences of delay are not theoretical — they are immediate and life-changing.

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At a glance

• Northern Ireland has the worst cancer waiting times in the UK

• Only 31% of patients treated within 62 days in 2025 (down from 83% in 2013)

• 10,300 cancer diagnoses annually in Northern Ireland

• 30,700 patients expected to begin treatment from urgent referrals over next five years

• No HSC Trust meeting 62-day or 31-day targets

• Delays may be leading to disease progression and avoidable deaths

• £10.6m funding delivered vs £55.7m projected under cancer strategy

• Smoking causes around 1,500 cancer cases annually

• Up to 210 extra early diagnoses possible with lung screening