Coroner links celebrity cancer disclosures to NHS delays amid surge in referrals

A senior coroner has warned that high-profile celebrities publicly announcing cancer diagnoses are contributing to longer NHS waiting lists and delays, as the health service grapples with a surge in referrals for cancer investigations.

The comments come in the wake of the death of 83-year-old Michael Moore, of East Harling, Norfolk, who died from an incurable bladder cancer after waiting about nine months for a biopsy. An inquest heard he should have been tested within 28 days of a July 2023 referral, and described a missed opportunity to start earlier treatment. The coroner did not name any specific individuals, but said the trend of public figures sharing diagnoses appeared to have helped drive up referrals and put pressure on capacity across the NHS.

The inquest into Moore’s case detailed a sequence of events in which an abnormal area was noted during a July 2023 check-up, but a biopsy was not performed promptly due to what the hospital described as lengthy waiting lists. By April 2024, Moore had been admitted to hospital as an emergency after a mass caused an obstruction, and a biopsy taken that month confirmed advanced, not curable bladder cancer. An oncologist in July 2024 concluded that, given Moore’s age and frailty, active treatment would not be in his best interests. He died at his home on September 17.

Senior coroner Samantha Goward for Norfolk said the delayed biopsy and the ensuing period before definitive cancer management were connected to systemic delays, and that the delay in diagnosis and treatment was a factor in the patient’s death. In a prevention of future deaths report she addressed NHS England and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, highlighting a surge in cancer referrals linked to celebrities publicly announcing diagnoses and encouraging people with symptoms to come forward.

“The evidence heard was that there was a delay in the biopsy being performed after the check-up in July 2023 due to lengthy waiting lists at the Trust,” Goward said. “I was advised that Mr Moore should have had his biopsy within 28 days – so by late August 2023. If he had undergone a biopsy in August 2023, on the basis of the evidence heard I found that this would have identified the recurrence of the cancer at that time. On the balance of probabilities the cancer would have been at an earlier stage and there would have been more treatment options available.”

She added that while it was not possible to say on the balance of probabilities that any treatment would have been curative, given the cancer’s nature and Moore’s frailty, there remained a possibility that earlier diagnosis could have altered the course of his care. The coroner concluded that his death resulted from underlying natural causes, but noted the diagnosis and treatment were delayed due to waiting lists.

The prevention-of-future-deaths report also addressed the wider NHS landscape. Goward wrote that the hospital trust had been working to reduce delays, with initial improvements followed by a renewed decline attributed in part to the surge in cancer referrals triggered by high-profile celebrity announcements and the public’s push to seek medical advice for potential symptoms. She said NHS England had acknowledged persistent capacity constraints across many providers and warned that the NHS’s ability to absorb a large influx of referrals was limited, contributing to longer waiting times for those awaiting diagnosis, surveillance, and recurrence assessment or treatment.

In the public record, the coroner cited several widely publicized cases that have drawn attention to cancer in the past year. Kate Middleton announced in March 2024 that she had cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy; officials later said she is in remission. In February of the previous year, King Charles disclosed a cancer diagnosis, though Buckingham Palace did not release details about the type. Singer Jessie J revealed in June that she had been diagnosed with early breast cancer. The Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood has previously been treated for cancer and was reported to be clear in 2021 after a second diagnosis.

Goward stressed that she did not name any individuals, focusing instead on the systemic implications of a consumer-driven surge in referrals. The coroner’s report was sent to NHS England, Moore’s family, and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust as part of an ongoing effort to learn from the case and reduce delays for others facing a cancer diagnosis.

The case underscores a tension in health care policy: the need to provide timely diagnostic pathways even as public awareness and advocacy help encourage people to seek medical help for concerning symptoms. NHS officials have indicated capacity constraints remain a factor in delays across many regions, and public health authorities continue to explore strategies to improve throughput without compromising the quality of care.

Moore’s family said he had already faced prior cancer diagnoses, including prostate cancer decades earlier, and had been under check-ups before his death. While his cancer was described as advanced and not curable at the time of his death, the coroner highlighted how earlier biopsy could not necessarily have changed the outcome, but might have delivered more treatment options earlier in the disease course. The inquiry’s findings place a spotlight on how public disclosures by celebrities intersect with clinical timeliness and the real-world capacity of cancer services to handle rising demand, with potential implications for policy and practice across the NHS network.