North Wales has fewer cancer consultants per head than anywhere else in the UK — according to its own health board
North Wales has fewer consultant clinical oncologists per head of population than anywhere else in the UK, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s own board papers reveal.
The finding appears in a cancer report going before the health board’s board on Thursday, which describes workforce gaps in key specialties as a critical risk to the sustainability of cancer services across the region.
BCUHB, which covers Flintshire and the rest of north Wales, says it has had recent success recruiting to consultant medical oncologist posts, but adds that waiting times remain challenged.
The report says dermatology and gastroenterology are among the specialties where current pressures directly affect the health board’s ability to meet demand.
Workforce fragility in those services is identified in the report as a significant factor in the failure to meet the 62-day Suspected Cancer Pathway target, which measures the time from a cancer suspicion to first definitive treatment.
Treatment rates across the four largest cancer types in north Wales have all fallen since 2021/22, with none currently meeting the national standard of 75%.
The board paper describes the consultant oncologist shortage as a particular structural challenge, noting that north Wales cannot currently offer sufficient scale for direct provision of some surgical cancer procedures and relies on external and outsourced arrangements for major urology, thoracic, pancreatic and sarcoma surgery.
The report says a robotic-assisted surgery plan is a key priority, describing robotic surgery as “now central to modern surgical practice across the NHS.”
BCUHB currently has one robotic platform, located in the west of the region, used for colorectal and gynaecological cancer cases.
An oncology clinical plan focusing on workforce sustainability, service development and strategic partnerships is due for completion in 2026.
The report highlights haematology as an example of where planned workforce development has worked, describing it as having strengthened service stability.
Welsh Government has invested £9.49 million in two new radiotherapy machines at the North Wales Cancer Treatment Centre at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, which the report says will be fully operational during 2026.
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