Radiologist shortage in South West causing cancer diagnosis delays
The Royal College of Radiology reports that the South West has 205 fewer radiologists than needed, leading to delays in cancer diagnosis.
How it was covered
- ITV was the only channel found covering it.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
A new report from the Royal College of Radiology has revealed that the South West of England is facing a severe shortage of radiologists and oncologists, leading to delays in cancer diagnosis and treatment. The region has 205 fewer radiologists than needed, a 36% shortfall, and is also missing 28 oncologists, 22% below the required number. These staffing gaps are causing significant delays for patients, with some waiting weeks for scan results. One patient, Jenny Duncan, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2019, described waiting five weeks for a scan result as 'every single day feels like a week because you're so stressed out.' The Royal College of Radiology reported that across the country, more than a million scan results took longer than a month last year due to staffing shortages. A college spokesperson said, 'For the first time this year, we have identified from colleagues across the country that those delays are having a direct impact on patient care. Nine in ten radiology departments and over half of cancer centres are telling us that they've seen patients' conditions worsen as a result of delays.' Cancer charities have called the figures 'very worrying,' noting that quicker diagnosis leads to better outcomes, especially for aggressive cancers. The government responded by stating that this year has seen a record number of doctors in the NHS, including radiologists and oncologists, and that thousands more cancer patients are being diagnosed and treated on time compared to last year. However, pressure on the system is expected to increase due to an ageing population, further straining resources.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Nine in ten radiology departments and over half of cancer centres report that patients' conditions have worsened due to delays. | |
| The South West has a 36% shortfall of radiologists (205 fewer than needed) and a 22% shortfall of oncologists (28 fewer). | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focused heavily on the human impact of the shortage, using a personal story from a local patient, Jenny Duncan, to illustrate the emotional toll of delays. It balanced this with statistics from the Royal College of Radiology and a response from the government, but the tone was sympathetic to patients and critical of the system's capacity.
- “Every single day feels like a week because that's the only thing you can think about. You're so stressed out.”
- “For the first time this year, we have identified from colleagues across the country that those delays are having a direct impact on patient care.”
- “We know that the quicker you can diagnose patients and get them into treatment, the better their outcomes are.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.