The Waiting Game
2024The Welsh government set a target that every patient diagnosed with cancer in Wales should start their treatment within 62 days of diagnosis. In response to this target being consistently missed, the Cambrian News launched its campaign, the Waiting Game.
Since October 2023, the Cambrian News searched for cancer patients who had been affected by delays and sought to tell their stories, putting names and faces to the thousands of people in the nation who were struggling with cancer.
The team reported on the worries and psychological and physical impacts of not beginning treatment within the government-mandated target period. They also spoke with public representatives about the failures of this system, which was underfunded and over-stretched and queried whether money alone was the issue.
As a result, the News reviewed the data that said that cancer improvement rates in Wales had not improved since the turn of the century, and reported on the sad reality that poor treatment options meant that cancer patients could lose five years of life expectancy as a result.
As well as reporting on the numbers, the News reported on the people waiting for treatment, with the Cambrian News’ hard-hitting editorials in their opinion column querying why the government had set targets that it could not meet, why the system remained broken and what was needed to improve.
“The Waiting Game campaign underscores the calibre of our work, underlines our dedication to our communities, and demonstrates the importance of local journalism in impacting people's lives at a very real level.”
Mick O’Reilly, editor, Cambrian News