A senior coroner has warned that high-profile celebrities announcing their cancer diagnoses are contributing to lengthy NHS waiting lists and delays. Samantha Goward, senior coroner for Suffolk, said that while public figures are “rightly encouraging” people to seek medical help for concerning symptoms, their announcements also cause a surge in cancer referrals, straining the health service.
Her comments follow the inquest into the death of Michael Moore, 83, who died from incurable bladder cancer. Mr Moore had to wait nine months for a biopsy, despite an “abnormal area” being noted during a check-up in 2023. The biopsy was only performed after he was admitted to hospital as an emergency, by which point the cancer was advanced and incurable. He received palliative care instead of treatment.
In a prevention of future deaths report, Ms Goward stated that the hospital trust had been working to reduce delays, but progress had been undermined by a rise in referrals. She wrote: “The evidence of the Hospital Trust was that work had been ongoing… but that while there had been some initial improvement, there had been a further decline which I was told is in part due to an increase in referrals due to high profile celebrities announcing their cancer diagnoses.”
Ms Goward noted that the surge in referrals had been “widely reported across the NHS” and that NHS England had acknowledged “persistent capacity constraints”. She expressed concern that the NHS lacks the ability to handle the volume of cancer referrals, causing significant delays in diagnosis, surveillance, and treatment.
Recent public figures to share cancer diagnoses include King Charles, the Princess of Wales, singer Jessie J, and actress Heather Peace. Gordon Ramsay also urged people to wear sunscreen after treatment for basal cell carcinoma. However, Ms Goward did not name any specific celebrities and did not imply they were wrong to encourage the public to seek help.
