Almost 300 patients at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust waited longer than the NHS standard of 62 days to begin cancer treatment last year, according to the latest available figures.
Data covering the period from January to November 2025 shows that 293 patients experienced waits beyond the 62-day target, which is the timeframe considered safe by the NHS.
This represents a significant increase compared with the same period in 2024, when 22 patients waited longer than the standard, meaning the figure rose by 271 year-on-year.
The figures were highlighted following the Government’s announcement of its National Cancer Plan yesterday (4th February).
In response, Tom Gordon, Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough criticised current cancer care performance and pointed to long waits faced by patients locally and nationally.
He said:
“Cancer care is broken in our country. Too many people with cancer in my constituency are waiting months for the treatment that they desperately need, which is completely unacceptable.
“Cancer services were left on their knees by the previous Conservative government, and Labour have done little so far to end this tragedy. Action must be taken now, and the Government must finally offer hope.
“Liberal Democrats would write into law a guarantee for 100% of cancer patients to be treated within 62 days, backed by 200 new staffed radiotherapy machines and thousands of extra cancer nurses.”
The Liberal Democrats are campaigning for a guarantee that all patients begin cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral, with the commitment written into law.
The party says it would aim to achieve this through the provision of 200 additional staffed radiotherapy machines, the creation of new radiotherapy centres, and the recruitment of more than 3,000 additional cancer nurses.
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