Minister defends Government cancer record despite treatment delays and spiralling diagnostic waits
A health minister has defended the Government’s record on treating cancer, despite data showing more Britons are waiting longer for urgent treatment than ever before.
Minister for patient safety and primary care, Maria Caulfield, insisted No10 had prioritised cancer patients during the Covid pandemic when she was quizzed by MPs from the Health and Social Care Committee today.
She said: ‘Since the start of pandemic in March 2020, there have been over 4million urgent referrals for cancer and over 960,000 people have been receiving treatment… a phenomenal achievement considering the scale of the pandemic.’
The referral figure is similar to non-pandemic years, and charities estimate that prior to Covid there were about 375,000 new cancer cases found per year in the UK.
Ms Caulfield added: ‘We have absolutely prioritised cancer care throughout the pandemic.’
She pointed to the fact that ‘around 95 per cent’ of patients newly diagnosed with the disease are starting treatment within a month. NHS figures reveals this figure is currently 93 per cent, with the health service target standing 96 per cent.
But official NHS data shows a record low of only two-thirds of cancer patients with an urgent referral from their GP receive care within two months. The NHS target is 85 per cent.
And half of women with suspected breast cancer are waiting more than the NHS’s two-week target to see a specialist.
Ms Caulfield also said the NHS was seeing a ‘tsunami’ of potential cancer patients which had been put off seeking treatment by the Covid pandemic, something she acknowledged was putting the system under strain.
Health minister Maria Caulfield defended the Governments record on cancer during the pandemic despite waiting times for diagnoses and treatment hitting worrying levels
Prime minister Boris Johnson pictured here in a visit to Rutherford Diagnostic Centre in Taunton said clearing the Covid care backlog was Britain’s number one issue
NHS England aims to treat 85 per cent of cancer patients who receive an urgent referral from their GP within two months, but in November 2021, the latest available, only 67.5 per cent of patients received treatment in this time frame. While the problem predates the Covid pandemic, the disruption to services caused by the virus has exacerbated the problem
Charities have warned there will be thousands of additional cancer deaths in the coming years due to people not getting seen early enough during the pandemic.
There are currently 50,000 missing cancer patients, according to Macmillan Cancer Support, with an additional 24,000 starting treatment too late.
‘There is almost a tsunami of patients who maybe didn’t come forward at the start, who are now coming through,’ MS Caulfield told MPs.
‘We are seeing a record number of cancer referrals, so about 11,000 cancer referrals per working day coming through the system, which is putting pressure on diagnosis and treatment.’
Her comments came as the embattled Boris Johnson announced clearing the Covid care backlog was his number one issue.
In a visit to Rutherford Diagnostic Centre in Taunton, the prime minister said: ‘I am focused on what I think is the number one issue for British people and it is clearing the Covid backlogs, but also looking at what we can do with new techniques.’
Mr Johnson said a lack diagnostics, the specialised staff and equipment that helps detect cancers, was ‘part of the delay’ and said £3.2 billion was being invested in community diagnostic hubs to ‘bring that scan closer to you’.
‘We’re supporting our amazing doctors and nurses who’ve kept us going throughout the pandemic – there are 44,000 more healthcare professionals now than there were in 2020, that’s a great thing,’ he said.
‘But the waiting lists – they’re tired and they’re stressed and what we’ve got to do is have diagnostics done as fast as possible on sites like this. And that’s what we’re doing.
‘So the message I want to get over to people is if you haven’t had a screen, you haven’t had a scan, you’ve been delayed or put off because of Covid, now is the time.’
Tens of thousands of Britons worried about potential cancer symptoms are believed to have been discouraging seeking help over the course of the Covid pandemic.
Many people were put off seeking help due to No10’s ‘stay at home message’ during 2020, or out of fear of catching Covid. Others had appointments or scans cancelled.
NHS England’s national cancer director Dame Cally Palmer, who was also questioned by committee MPs, told them the health service estimated 34,000 people with cancer had not come forward for treatment due to the pandemic.
Ms Caulfield’s comments came just a few days after her boss, ] Health Secretary Sajid Javid, revealed he wanted launch a ‘war on cancer.
He said he is working on a ‘new vision’ to improve the ‘persistently poor outcomes’ experienced by people in the UK.
This includes a ’15-year workforce planning programme’ which Ms Caulfield told MPs would be revealed ‘very soon’.
There have been a raft of worrying statistics regarding cancer diagnoses and treatment in recent months, data which does not factor in any recent disruption caused by the recent Omicron surge.
NHS England data shows a record low of 67.5 per cent of cancer patients with an urgent referral from their GP started treatment within two months in November, meaning about one in three had to wait longer.
Health service data also shows that 48.2 per cent of women with suspected breast cancer waited over two weeks to see a specialist after an urgent referral from their family doctor.
The NHS target is that 93 per cent of women with an urgent referral should be seen within two weeks.
The yawning gap between NHS targets and patient waiting times has prompted UK experts like Professor Karol Sikora, a consultant oncologist, to warn time is running out for many patients.
Writing for the MailOnline Professor Sikora said: ‘Of all the medical backlogs grievously aggravated by the pandemic, cancer is the most time sensitive and time is running out fast.’
He argued the UK needs a national effort to beat cancer similar to the drive behind the Covid vaccination programme.
‘The political will is clearly there to tackle this problem but all of us involved in cancer care need to display the same determination to take action now in the same way we rose to the challenge of the vaccination booster campaign.’
‘We need another national effort. People’s lives depend on it.’
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