Selby skin cancer patient tells of 'scary' wait for treatment

A Selby skin cancer patient has said waiting nine months for treatment has been "very scary and stressful".

Andrew Battye, 68, was diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) in December and was told an operation to remove it would be expected in eight weeks' time.

He said it kept getting delayed and he felt it was a "fight to stay alive and get the necessary treatment".

The NHS cited backlogs due to the pandemic and an "unprecedented increase" in serious cancers.

NHS bosses have also said two thirds of cancer waiting time targets would be scrapped.

Basal cell carcinoma is a non-melanoma - which means it is much less likely to spread - and can be caused by overexposure to the sun or sunbeds. Treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers are successful in 90% of cases, according to the NHS.

The artist and retired hospital worker, who has two grown-up children, said the waiting time and the "endless" emails and telephone calls in rescheduling the treatment to remove the cancer from his face had been "very stressful".

"It's very worrying because it's in a visible place and the longer it's left then potentially the more disfiguring any removal will be because it is growing. So it's very scary.

"I would've been tempted to try and get private treatment to get it removed if they'd had told me nine months at the start. I would've definitely tried to go down a private removal."

In February 2021, Mr Battye was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration. He said it had taken 18 days for him to receive treatment and, as a result of the difficulties in getting timely eye injections, he "lost quite a lot of sight" in his left eye.

"Getting treatment is an ongoing struggle," said Mr Battye, who also suffered a heart attack in 2006.

"Since August 2021 when I had further heart problems and through to this latest wait for removal of the BCC, it feels as though I have to fight to stay alive and get the necessary treatment, when it should be the NHS who are fighting for me and it has put a considerable strain on my health."

He said it was "a relief" to finally be given a new date of 29 August for his skin cancer treatment.

"I just want to get this removed really."

In emails sent to Mr Battye, the NHS told him delays in him receiving treatment were due to "significant backlogs" due to the pandemic and "an unprecedented increase in serious cancers which again has impacted on our waiting list times".

Two-thirds of NHS cancer waiting time targets are expected to be scrapped in England, in a move the health service says aims to catch cancers earlier.

NHS England wants to reduce the number of targets, most of which have been routinely missed in recent years, from nine to three.

It said the move would simplify the system.

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