Waiting lists for skin cancer treatment have soared by a quarter since the pandemic, with patients facing delays of up to a year to start treatment.
Politicians are now calling for VAT on high-factor sunscreens to be scrapped so more people can afford to protect themselves.
Responses from 49 NHS trusts in England show that 38,392 patients joined a waiting list to start skin cancer treatment in 2023-24. This represents a 25.8 per cent increase on the 30,521 in 2019-20. In addition, 3,571 waited longer than the standard 62 days to start treatment last year.
Seventy-eight waited more than six months and some waited almost a year. The longest wait was at the Norwich and Norfolk NHS trust, where one patient was on the list for 345 days after an urgent referral. Failures to meet the 62-day target rose almost fourfold over this period, from 988 in 2019-20.
The actual figures are likely to be higher as some trusts did not respond to the Liberal Democrats’ Freedom of Information requests.
Responses from 49 NHS trusts in England show 38,392 patients have joined a waiting list to start skin cancer treatment in 2023-24
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey (right) with deputy leader Daisy Cooper (left) during a photocall with the party’s new MPs. The shocking figures have been revealed following a Freedom of Information request from the party
The party’s health spokeswoman, Daisy Cooper, called the NHS’s cancer services “shocking and tragic”.
She urged the Government to scrap VAT on high-protection sun creams, recruit more cancer nurses and offer a 100 per cent guarantee that patients will start cancer treatment within 62 days of an urgent referral. Sun creams are taxed at the standard rate of VAT, 20 per cent. Scrapping this VAT would save consumers £67m a year.
The cost to the NHS of skin cancer treatment is estimated to rise to £465m next year.
A survey last year for the charity Melanoma Focus found that half of the public think sunscreen is too expensive and one in ten say they don’t use it because it is too expensive.
Ms Cooper said: “The staggering increase in referrals shows we need to do more to prevent people getting skin cancer in the first place.
‘That means making it affordable for people to protect themselves by reducing VAT on high-factor sunscreens and securing a public commitment from major retailers that they will pass on the financial benefit to consumers.
“We need to ensure that all patients start treatment as soon as possible and this government must make recruiting more cancer nurses a top priority,” said Susanna Daniels, of Melanoma Focus: “Reducing VAT on high factor sunscreens would be a major step forward against the alarming rise in skin cancer cases.
“Due to the pressure on household budgets, many people struggle to afford this vital product. Skin cancers, particularly melanoma, can be fatal, but are largely preventable. Sunscreen is an essential tool for this prevention.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “High factor sunscreen is on the NHS prescription list for certain conditions and is already provided VAT-free when dispensed by a pharmacist to these patients.”
‘We, in collaboration with charities, politicians from all parties, patients and medical professionals, have been advocating for the removal of VAT on SPF 30+ sunscreens as part of our VAT Burn campaign.’