NHS Cancer Unit Hiring Bans Double, Risking Patient Lives, Doctors Warn
The Royal College of Radiologists has revealed a dramatic escalation in hiring freezes across the UK's specialist cancer treatment centres, with half of the 60 facilities unable to recruit clinical oncologists in 2025. This figure more than doubled from the previous year, when 13 centres, or 23%, faced similar restrictions. The findings, based on a comprehensive workforce census, highlight a growing crisis in cancer care staffing that medical professionals describe as "shortsighted and dangerous".
Recruitment Freezes Worsen Chronic Shortages
According to the RCR, the recruitment bans extend beyond oncology units, affecting over a third of the UK's 160 radiology departments, which saw hiring freezes for clinical radiologists rise to 36% in 2025 from 19% in 2024. These departments are crucial for performing and analysing medical scans essential for cancer diagnosis. Dr Stephen Harden, President of the RCR, criticised the measures, warning they exacerbate existing doctor shortages, leading to longer waits, late diagnoses, and limited treatment options for patients.
"Any delay can be distressing. But for patients with suspected cancer it is particularly dangerous, as each month's delay to starting cancer treatment can increase the risk of death by around 10%," Harden stated. He attributed the freezes to an NHS financial "reset" ordered by Sir Jim Mackey, Chief Executive of NHS England, aimed at addressing a projected £6.6 billion overspend in 2025-26, which forced trusts to implement substantial cost-cutting measures.
Impact on Rural and Deprived Areas
The RCR's data indicates that smaller cancer centres and radiology departments, often serving rural and coastal communities, were disproportionately affected by the hiring bans. Across the UK, 60% of cancer centres in rural or deprived areas experienced recruitment freezes, compared to 48% in urban and more affluent regions. This disparity threatens to undermine the government's new National Cancer Plan for England, which includes proposals to increase cancer doctor numbers in underserved areas.
Harden emphasised that persistent understaffing could sabotage Health Secretary Wes Streeting's goals for early diagnosis and faster treatment. "It's encouraging to see the government set out ambitious plans to improve cancer care, but hiring bans in radiology departments and cancer centres sit in clear tension with commitments to diagnose cancer earlier and treat it faster, and they need to end," he said.
Financial and Human Costs
The recruitment freezes have led to significant financial repercussions, with the NHS across the UK spending a record £325 million in 2024 on locum doctors and private firms, including some based abroad, to fill rota gaps and analyse scans. This expenditure underscores the inefficiency of short-term savings measures, as Harden noted that such bans do not save money in the long term and damage staff morale.
Cancer Research UK has supported the RCR's calls for fully staffed cancer services, estimating that the NHS in England needs to hire 16,000 more staff by 2029 to meet rising demand, including 8,300 diagnostic radiographers, 4,600 radiologists, and 790 medical and clinical oncologists. Holly Norman, CRUK's Head of Health Systems Engagement, stressed that government ambitions for improved cancer care "will only be met if the NHS is properly resourced with enough staff and equipment."
Government Response and Future Plans
In response to the findings, NHS England did not directly address the recruitment freezes but highlighted efforts to grow the radiology and oncology workforces by around 5% in 2024. A spokesperson stated that the new national cancer plan aims to transform care through specialist training places in underserved areas and innovative care models, with technology like AI playing a key role in enhancing productivity and reducing administrative burdens.
However, the RCR warns that without immediate action to end hiring bans, the NHS will struggle to meet the UK's need for nearly 2,000 more radiologists and 200 more clinical oncologists to handle current demand, let alone the expected rise in cancer diagnoses in coming years. The situation poses a critical challenge to the sustainability of cancer care services nationwide.
