Cancer patients are facing long waits for treatment, prompting calls for a new care guarantee to improve outcomes.
Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, is calling for a Cancer Care Guarantee that would ensure 100 per cent of patients across start treatment within two months of an urgent referral.
The proposal follows analysis by the Liberal Democrats that highlights severe delays in the current system.
Ms Gilmour said: "We all know someone who has been through the shattering experience of a cancer diagnosis, and it is truly heartbreaking to hear that patients in Tiverton and Minehead are waiting for months on end to get the care they need.
"Cancer care is deeply personal to me, and I know the truly amazing impact that the NHS can have on cancer outcomes – but not if you have to wait for seven weeks for an urgent referral.
"The anguish that leaves with the patient and their families does not bear thinking about."
The Liberal Democrats analysis reveals record numbers of cancer patients in England are waiting more than 62 days to begin treatment.
In 2025 alone, 140 NHS trusts missed the two-month standard, while only 27 met it - and 12 of those treated just one patient.
At 11 trusts, at least half of cancer patients waited 62 days.
In the Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, 29.28 per cent of cancer patients waited 62 days.
The total number of patients in Somerset waiting more than 62 days rose nearly 20 per cent between 2023 and 2025, from 1,012 to 1,237.
Research shows that every four-week delay in cancer treatment reduces survival by an average of 10 per cent.
The Liberal Democrats say these delays are leaving patients and their loved ones "in limbo with agonising waits".
They are campaigning for the 62-day treatment target to be enshrined in law and met for every patient, everywhere.
Proposed solutions include 200 additional staffed radiotherapy machines, the creation of new radiotherapy centres and the recruitment of more than 3,000 more cancer nurses.
Ms Gilmour said: "The Liberal Democrats are the party of the NHS and we will not accept the unacceptable for patients.
"Under our plans, we would guarantee for 100 per cent of cancer patients to be treated within 62 days across Tiverton and Minehead."
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