A Shropshire family have called for faster NHS test results, after a father waited three months for the result of a cancer scan which finally arrived five days before he died.

Pete Vagg was receiving chemotherapy at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, unaware that his treatment was not working and that palliative care could have been an option.

His son Neil said his father “should have had a more dignified end to his life, visiting his grandchildren abroad”.

Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) said: “Waiting times remain longer than we would like for our patients in some specialties.”

Mr Vagg, 79, from Shrewsbury, had lived with cancer for several years but it had spread to his bowel and liver.

He started chemotherapy and, in July 2024, had a surveillance exam to check if the treatment was working.

His son, who works at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, said: ‘It was strange that every time his father met the medical team there were still no test results.

This meant no decisions could be made about his father’s care because no one knew what was going on inside him, he added.

Julian Povey, who chairs the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin GP board, said it was a common situation, with around a third of GP work now linked to outpatient appointments at the hospital.

Dr Povey said people could wait eight weeks for a scan and then a further 12 weeks for the report.

Private companies are often tasked with interpreting scan results to provide relief to hospitals, but Dr Povey said the trust “needs to look at alternatives to reduce waiting times”.

Cancer diagnostic data The NHS suggested that in September, around two thirds (68%) of SaTH patients received results within four weeks, but more than one in ten had to wait more than two months. Across England, three quarters (75%) met the target.

The Royal College of Radiologists said there was a shortage of staff in this field nationally.

The college said that in Shropshire, reporting delays for more complex diagnoses, such as CT scans and MRIs, were of particular concern.

Between January and June 2024, 8.3% of CT and MRI scans (4,269 scans) took more than 28 days to be reported.

Ned Hobbs, SaTH operations director, said: “We are making progress in reducing waiting times for cancer treatment.

“We have invested in additional capacity and clinics, including our community diagnostic center, and plan to reduce wait times further in the coming months.”

He added that the trust was working with neighboring hospitals to provide faster access to scans, tests and treatment.

Neil Vagg said seeing his father suffer needlessly inspired him to speak out: “We have to ask questions about why this was allowed to happen… because, what can I say, he didn’t There is nothing more serious that can be avoided.