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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Gregory Health editor

Breast cancer patients in England face delays to reconstruction surgery

‘I just want to know when it will be happening so I can move on with my life,’ says Carlie-Ann Hare, 32, who is waiting for reconstruction surgery after having a single mastectomy.
‘I just want to know when it will be happening so I can move on with my life,’ says Carlie-Ann Hare, 32, who is waiting for reconstruction surgery after having a single mastectomy. Photograph: Breast Cancer Now/PA

Women waiting for breast reconstruction surgery on the NHS in England face a “postcode lottery” of care, with some forced to wait more than three years, a damning report warns.

Two in five women (40%) waiting for breast reconstruction during the pandemic after having their breasts removed due to cancer faced a delay of 24 months or longer, according to research involving 1,246 women who either underwent reconstruction surgery or were waiting for it.

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