Patients with advanced or terminally ill cancer would be denied long-term treatment due to the shortage of drivers in Britain.
One of England’s largest trusts admitted there was rationing that could deprive people with incurable cancer of extra weeks and months with family and friends.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust told the Daily Telegraph it is urgently trying to fill the vacancies.
He said he hopes to be able to offer chemotherapy to anyone who needs it by some stage next month.
Experts also believe there are around 19,500 people living with undiagnosed cancer due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It came as a report predicted that even if oncology departments increase the number of patients they see by five percent, the cancer treatment backlog will take more than a decade to clear.
It emerged last year that NHS England allowed hospitals to ration cancer services to patients most likely to survive if the system becomes overwhelmed by covid.
There is a record global backlog of around 5.5 million people.
Boris Johnson warned this month that NHS waiting lists “will get worse before they get better”.
A spokesperson for the Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust said vacancies and long-term illnesses among staff were contributing to the crisis.
He said he continues to provide chemotherapy to patients who benefit the most from treatment.
“We are deeply sorry for the concern and the upheaval this has caused,” the trust said.
Tesco and BP Close Service Stations, ‘Rationed Fuel’ Deliveries Due to Shortage of Truck Drivers
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