General Election 2024: Five talking points from ITV's first debate

Waiting for medical attention feels tougher than it has ever been, as Janet from Telford in the audience described. She's a cancer survivor who lost a loved one while they waited for surgery. Waiting lists for treatment across the NHS have been hitting record highs and agonising waits for A&E, ambulances and GP appointments have all become the norm. This all plays a part in the experience of what it’s like to be a cancer patient.    

For cancer alone, people are waiting far too long to get diagnosed and treated. In 2023, almost 90,000 people with cancer across the UK waited more than two months to start treatment from the point of either urgent referral or first suspicion of cancer. Healthcare professionals are doing the very best they can, but the system cannot cope with the demand.     

Both Starmer and Sunak mentioned some headline policies to reduce waiting lists, but beyond the soundbites what we need are fully resourced sustainable solutions to the longstanding challenges within our health system, which is why we're calling on all parts of government to work together to properly tackle the issues facing growing numbers of people with cancer now and in the future, not just knee-jerk, short term ideas to grab headlines.   

Cancer is usually the word nobody wants to hear. It’s the UK’s biggest killer and the disease people are most fearful about, something Janet from the audience raised early in the debate. But neither leader responded directly to that experience. When it comes to who forms the next government, cancer is a word that we really do need to hear. Cancer can no longer be left behind as the 'forgotten C' in the shadow of Covid. The tough reality is, almost everyone will be impacted by cancer at some point in their life, either by being diagnosed themselves or by seeing someone they care about go through it. 

Cancer care is at a tipping point and real people’s lives are in the balance. But it doesn’t have to be this way - the next government could, with the right plans, revolutionise cancer care for people now and in the future.    

If this is important to you, we have easy, practical steps you can take to help us ensure cancer care is a top priority for whoever forms the next government. Simply sign up today and be the first to receive our short election campaign updates with tips and ideas for how you can help.

Whilst there was some talk of cutting waiting lists and improving care, it was talked about generally and without acknowledgement of the individual factors that play a huge part in the quality of care a person receives. Transforming people’s experience requires acknowledgement and awareness of how factors such as your ethnicity, where you live, and the levels of deprivation in your area play a significant role in how fast you’ll be diagnosed and treated. 

The next UK Prime Minister needs to have a clear understanding of their role in improving the experience for everyone. Revolutionising cancer care needs to start with tackling the inequalities in it.