Breast cancer surgery wait times rise in region
GettyBreast cancer care waiting times have risen across a region due in part to a decision by one trust to temporarily cap its services.
Last year multiple failings in the breast surgery services provided by County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust (CDDFT) were discovered. The trust has since limited the number of referrals while it undergoes improvements.
CDDFT's executive operations director Lorraine Nelson said the trust was putting on extra clinics and recruiting more staff to cut wait times.
Trusts in Newcastle, Gateshead and Teesside also said there had been an increase in wait times for breast cancer care due in part to a rise in Durham referrals.
In a report CDDFT said 361 patients were waiting for a first appointment at the end of February 2026.
It said it was failing to meet guidelines that patients should not have to wait more than 28 days from referral to find out if they had cancer or not.
PAPatient referrals to the service have temporarily been capped at 80. The service has been limited following a Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) review which was conducted last year.
It found several failings including missed cancers and mastectomies being carried out that may not have been necessary.
Durham Police is investigating whether any offences were committed.
CDDFT is re-examining medical records of patients and as of March, it had found that 245 individuals had come to harm.
Nelson said improvements had already taken place in the service including the building of a new team.
"As a result we are now seeing improvements in outcomes for our patients that are in line with national best practice," she said.
'Holding extra clinics'
Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust said the number of patients on its breast cancer waiting list had risen from 561 at the end of March 2025, to 792 at the end of March 2026.
The trust's chief operating officer Jo Halliwell said some of this was due to a rise in referrals from County Durham and extra clinics were being held.
"We want to reassure patients that anyone with urgent concerns will continue to be seen as quickly as possible," she said.
Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust joint medical director, Dr Lucia Pareja-Cebrian, said more patients from County Durham had affected waiting lists but that this was "currently manageable".
"We're in discussion with colleagues across the wider region and NHS system to collectively consider the best way to support breast service patients longer term," she said.
A University Hospitals Tees spokesperson said the trust was also experiencing longer waiting lists in part for the same reason.
It said it was offering out-of-hours clinics and operating theatres to tackle the backlog.
It also urged people to attend regular breast cancer screening appointments and to contact their GP if they noticed lumps in breasts or armpits.
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust said there had not been a rise in its breast cancer waiting times.