Impact of NHS workforce shortfalls on cancer patients

Workforce statistics Doctors working in cancer specialties

NHS Workforce statistics indicate that the number of full time equivalent (FTE) cancer speciality doctors (oncologists) has increased in recent years.

Between June 2020 and June 2025 (the most recent figures):

• FTE clinical oncologist numbers increased by 32%, rising from 1,391 to 1,830.
• FTE medical oncologists increased by 48%, from 1,050 to 1,558.

In addition, the clinical radiology workforce also increased by around 27% over the same period, from 4,578 FTEs in June 2020 to 5,819 in June 2025. Clinical radiologists are specialist doctors who are essential for the diagnosis, management and treatment of major conditions such as cancer and stroke.

However, organisations such as the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) argue that the rise in workforce numbers has not kept pace with demand for services. Hence, in 2024 they estimated that the clinical oncology workforce was around 15% lower than required to meet demand and that this proportion would rise to 19% by 2029. Although, it is worth noting that the extent of this shortfall has declined since 2020 when it was estimated at around 17%.

The RCR also found that among the 50 cancer centres surveyed in England in 2024, 76% of heads of service reported they had concerns over patient safety due to workforce shortages.

The latest RCR survey of the clinical radiology workforce also raised concerns over workforce shortages. Among 134 NHS trusts surveyed in England in 2024, 56% of clinical directors believed there were insufficient radiologists to deliver safe and effective patient care.

Nurses working in cancer specialties

Figures for nurses working in cancer specialties are not available from routine NHS workforce publications.

A recent investigation by FactCheck – Channel 4 News obtained a dataset on the nursing “fill rate” for NHS acute hospitals in England. The “fill rate” shows the gap between the number of registered nurses hospitals plan to have on wards – and how many there actually are.

Based on monthly average data from January 2023 to November 2024, they reported that a third of acute trusts in England were missing at least 10% of their planned nurses across haematology and oncology wards.

Recent government activity

The government set out its work to expand the cancer workforce in response to a parliamentary question on 13 October 2025. The response said that in June 2025 there were 31.5% more full time equivalent doctors working in clinical oncology in the NHS and “other core organisations in England” than there had been in 2020. It highlighted additional investment for trainees, the expansion of speciality training, and support for clinicians seeking training for the “adoption of innovative cancer treatments”. For further detail, see section 3.1 of the attached debate pack, which shows a collection of recent government responses to parliamentary questions.

The government has committed to publishing the 10 Year Workforce Plan by the end of 2025. The government has said that the upcoming workforce plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places to deliver the care all patients need, including cancer patients, and will improve outcomes and experiences. This will include expanding specialty training places in key cancer professions, such as histopathology, clinical radiology, and gastroenterology.

The 10 Year Health Plan for England: fit for the future gives further detail on proposed NHS workforce changes. It says some of the proposals in the 2023 NHS Workforce Plan for staff numbers in 2035 were unrealistically high. The 10 Year Health Plan anticipates there will be fewer staff in the NHS by 2035 than the 2023 NHS Workforce Plan had projected, but states that “those staff will be better treated, more motivated, have better training and more scope to develop their careers.” The 10 Year Health Plan criticises the 2023 workforce plan, which it states “did little more than extrapolate from past trends into the future: concluding there was no alternative than continuation of our current care model, supported by an inexorable growth in headcount, mostly working in acute settings.”

Instead of a refresh of the rejected 2023 plan, the government says the upcoming 10 Year Workforce Plan “takes a decidedly different approach”. Rather than asking “how many staff do we need to maintain our current care model over the next 10 years?”, the government will ask “given our reform Plan, what workforce do we need, what should they do, where should they be deployed and what skills should they have.” It has been suggested that the new workforce plan will emphasise the need to shift more training to areas like general practice, rather than further boosting numbers of hospital doctors.

The King’s Fund has said the “government is placing a large bet on technology and automation freeing up enough clinician time so that fewer frontline staff will be needed in the future. If that bet doesn’t pay off the NHS could face an even larger staffing crisis.”

Further detail is contained in the Library briefing on The Ten Year Health Plan for England (October 2025).

Background can also be found in the NHS Employers briefing, Understanding the workforce implications in the 10 Year Health Plan.

In September 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) published a call for evidence on the 10 Year Workforce Plan. The consultation is seeking evidence on:

• the professions, roles and skills, including skills included and emphasised in training curricula, that will be critical to successfully implement the 3 shifts
• how specific professions, roles and skills may be impacted by the implementation of the 3 shifts and the wider policy ambitions of the 10 Year Health Plan, while maintaining quality care for patients
• how the 10 Year Workforce Plan can support government growth and opportunity missions

National Cancer Plan

In April 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care published a call for evidence on Shaping the national cancer plan.

The national cancer plan will take forward the reforms to be set out by the 10 Year Health Plan and the government’s approach to cancer will be based on the shifts set out in it.

The national cancer plan will include further details on how the government and the NHS will:

• go further to prevent cancer
• improve outcomes for cancer patients
• speed up diagnosis and treatment
• ensure patients have access to the latest treatments, digital tools and technology
• support patients to live with and beyond cancer, with care closer to home
• bring this country’s cancer survival rates back up to the standards of the best in the world

Alongside the national cancer plan, in February 2025 the government announced the relaunch of the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce, to improve outcomes and experiences for children and young people with cancer.