World-leading oncologist in bid to reopen three most cancers centres that lie idle

Anger mounted yesterday over a refusal by well being chiefs to make use of three mothballed most cancers centres.

The models, arrange by world-leading oncologist Professor Karol Sikora, at the moment are within the fingers of a non-public fairness agency after going bust final 12 months.

But consultants declare tens of 1000’s of stricken sufferers could possibly be recognized and handled if solely the NHS agreed to barter reasonably than enable gear to “gather dust” at a time most cancers targets are routinely missed.

Prof Sikora, 75, referred to as the continued closures a “national scandal”.

He needs to satisfy Health Secretary Steve Barclay and NHS England boss Amanda Pritchard in a bid to reopen the hubs in Newport in South Wales, Reading, Berks, and Northumberland.

Welsh Tory chief Andrew RT Davies mentioned: “The Rutherford centre in Newport could treat 2,000 patients a year. With record backlogs in our Welsh NHS, all potential solutions must be considered.” Oncology professor Roger Taylor, of Swansea University, mentioned: “The ex-Rutherford centres have state-of-the-art scanners and machines. Instead of lying unused, they could be used for patients.”

The NHS says 93 p.c of pressing suspected most cancers referrals must be seen by a specialist inside two weeks however the charge in May was 80.8 p.c.

Rutherford, arrange in 2015, was compelled to shut final June within the wake of economic difficulties throughout Covid.

Prof Sikora mentioned: “To have them sitting empty at a time of record waits and unnecessary deaths is truly a national scandal.”

NHS England mentioned: “The NHS has purchased just under 200 new scanners over the last year, including previous Rutherford assets as part of a £2.3billion investment. Thanks in part to this, 2.9 million patients had urgent cancer checks in 2022/23 – 300,000 more than in the year before the pandemic.”