Concern over cancer referral backlog
A WOEFUL backlog in cancer treatment referrals is heaping more misery on patients already facing an anxious wait to learn the outcome of their condition.
Stratford Liberal Democrats claim Government complacency over a credible, long term cancer treatment plan for hundreds of patients across Warwickshire is unacceptable.
According to Lib Dems, 108 NHS trusts nationwide currently miss the recommended two-week cancer referral target and claim “a staggering 62,360 people had to wait more than two weeks to see a cancer specialist after a GP referral in August alone.”
Lib Dem research suggests 248 local people had to wait more than two weeks to see a cancer specialist after a GP referral.
Manuela Perteghella, (Lib Dem, Stratford) said:
“It is deeply upsetting that so many people in Stratford and surrounding towns and villages are being let down. Early cancer diagnosis is crucial and too few are seeing a specialist in good time.
“The government has failed to come up with a proper plan to help people as targets for waiting times are missed month after month.
"Our NHS is being run into the ground, from ballooning ambulance waits to understaffed hospitals, and this Conservative government has done little but shrug its shoulders. It's just not good enough and people here deserve better.
“We need an urgent plan to improve cancer care and to save our local health services. People are worried sick about what could happen if they get a terrible diagnosis too late. More inaction is not an option.”
While the NHS target is for 93 per cent of patients to see a cancer specialist after a referral, in south Warwickshire this was the case for just 84.72 per cent of patients. Many residents get referred to University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS with just 79.75 per cent of patients seeing a cancer specialist within two weeks after referral – the Lib Dems claim.
“It’s worrying because we know you can beat cancer if you are seen soon after referral and it’s absolutely important that is done within two weeks. It needs proper investment and a plan we hope that South Warwickshire Foundation Trust will be in a position to make a statement in January and we can have a decision or some recommendations about the proposed plan because cancer referrals are urgent referrals and we don’t want people being worried at home for anytime longer than the recommended two weeks,” Manuela Perteghella said.
Concern over the delay treating cancer referrals is echoed by Conservative MP Steve Brine who recently expressed doubt the Government still intended to bring forward a new cancer treatment plan.
He argued the Government must say whether it intends to bring forward new plans to address the cancer treatment backlog in the wake of the pandemic a bold statement from the new Tory chairman of the health and social care committee.
“We have a right, I suggest a responsibility, to impose ourselves on the public health of the nation, because when that goes wrong, it just falls on to the health service.
He described prevention as “the new cure” and said his committee would gather evidence to support this.
“As I said in the House a few months ago, if that makes me the nanny state, well, guilty,” he added.
A spokesperson for South Warwickshire University NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Ensuring patients have access to timely treatment is a top priority for the organisation. We are currently experiencing some of the highest referral rates in the region for cancer treatment, which has impacted on performance. Our teams are working really hard to ensure patients get the treatment they need at the right time. To support the increase in demand we are reviewing pathways and enhancing medical capacity. We are already seeing improvements with September’s figure increasing to 91.2 per cent (1,339) of referrals seen within 14 days.”
